Galactic War: Book 1: Jedi Fight
by ELF Commando
Summary: Padawan Kan Enik is told to stay at the Temple while his Master and 200 other Jedi go to Geonosis. When Kan tries to stop delinquent students from running off, he accidentally stows aboard a ship headed toward a fight that will change his life forever.
1. Kan is Summoned

Chapter 1

_ He was running around in the arena, terrified at the thing chasing him. He didn't know what it was, and he couldn't turn his head to look. All he knew was that he was scared._

_ "Kan!" Someone was shouting at him from behind._

" _I know," he said with a painful effort._

_He heard someone chuckle. "You know what?" _

"_Cover me. Something is after me."_

_He heard a snort. "You're dreaming again."_

He woke up as he was falling off his sleep couch. He landed with an_ oof_ and stared up at the ceiling blankly.

He heard a tinkle of laughter, pealing like high little bells. "Thank goodness you're awake, Kan. It's so dull watching someone sleep. Have you ever watched someone sleep? I suppose not. You always sleep so late. What is it like to sleep late? I'm curious to know whether your dreams are longer, or–––"

"Jordin," Kan said wearily. "Please cease your prattle and tell me to whom do I owe this intrusion?"

"Why, me, of course," the girl said. "After all, I'm the only one in here. But of course, I forgot that you are a boy, which must effect the amount of intelligence that enters your brain. Does that mean that you don't get headaches? I'm curious to know what it's like –––"

Kan suddenly leaped to his feet, startling her into silence. "Oh no!" he exclaimed, picking up his boots and bolting for the door. "My Master told me to meet him outside the Council chambers one hour after sunrise. The council has requested a meeting with us. We might go on a mission. I can't be late –––"

"I have not finished anything I have begun to say," Jordin said tartly. "That isn't very polite of you, you know. It's like taking away half of my lunch before I can finish it. I wonder if that is a trait that runs in boys –––"

"I don't know and I don't care," Kan interrupted impatiently. "All I know is that I'm getting angry."

"As I was saying," Jordin said. "Master Xelan told me to wake you up precisely at dawn. So you have an hour. If you had let me finish in the first place, I would have told you. Now, where was I…"

"Sorry, Jordin," Kan said. "I don't have time for that now. I have to get ready."

"You have an hour!"

"Time can go by fast."

"Well, fine , then." Her mouth turned down into a pout. "Don't bother asking me to inform you that the Council has also summoned me and my Master to the same meeting."

"Really?" Kan asked.

"I said I wouldn't tell you."

Kan sighed and glanced into the mirror that hung on the wall in his room. A solid, powerfully built boy with sleepy eyes and tousled dark hair scowled back at him through the reflection. He frowned and tried to smooth his unkempt hair down. It stuck straight up. He groaned and rolled over to his desk to grab a comb.

A slight young girl stared at him curiously through her innocent-looking, piercing blue eyes. A shock of shoulder-length white-blond hair with fiery streaks framed her delicately defined face.

Jordin was a year younger than Kan, but they had been in the same classes when they were younglings. She was a very competent student with incredible lightsaber skills. In his opinion, her only weakness was her love of talking. She talked day and night about everything under, over and beyond Coruscant's hot sun. Kan strongly believed that she talked in her sleep, too.

"I wonder what it is like to be bald?" she said suddenly. Jordin was like that. She said whatever came into her head, even the most random, bizarre thoughts. It was part of what made her such a bright character. "I believe I shall try it someday, although there's always the possibility of hating it after you've been bald for a few days. But then, it could be pleasant. I don't think I'd ever feel hot–––"

"You'd look uglier than you do now," Kan said, instantly regretting his words.

"That's not very polite, either," Jordin said. "Rudeness _must_ be a trait in boys. Have you seen Master Rei Saffron? He is _so_ rude and bad-tempered. Once I was unlucky enough to be in the same turbolift as him. I was very civil. I said, 'Good morning' as nice as you please, and do you know what he said? 'Humph!' Now how do you like that? I wonder if–––"

"Is Zett summoned for the meeting?" Kan broke in.

She looked puzzled for a moment. "Meeting? Oh, oh yes, the Council meeting, Um…I don't know. Why don't we go check with him? He's bound to be up by now. Unless, of course, he's like you."

Before Kan could retort, Jordin had already flounced out the door.

Kan did not immediately follow. Unlike the fast-paced Jordin, he preferred to take things slowly, one at a time. He needed to finish getting dressed before searching for his best friend, Zett, who was an apprentice like Kan and Jordin. He carefully strapped on his utility belt, checking to make sure there were no new dents in the dark polished leather. He needed to look his best if he was to go before the twelve greatest Jedi in the Temple.

He looked at the mirror again. The grumpy, frazzled youth that had been in the mirror before had been replaced by a clean, neat student. Satisfied, he strode out into the corridor.

The Jedi Temple still had the hushed, meditative atmosphere of last night. The glowlamps were powered down, making it hard for him to see. He peered into the half-lit hallway, trying to glimpse the energetic figure of Jordin. He saw no movement.

Kan began to quicken his steps, trying to catch up to her. He glanced toward a large window overlooking the buildings of Coruscant, the center of the Republic. The sun began to stretch its long arms to touch the tops of the shining metal skyscrapers, staining their silvery hue a bloody red.

He came to a halt at a door identical to his own. It was slightly ajar, so he eased it open with his fingertips.

Kan frowned. Zett wasn't in his quarters. This was a strange hour to be up and about. Zett was, as Jordin had said, a late sleeper. There was no sign of her, either. Puzzled, he cracked the door open wider.

Suddenly a rush of escaping laughter sounded by his ear, making him jump. "Well, I didn't expect you to use your head," Jordin remarked serenely. "And I was right, after all. Your head must be very thick. Have you ever seen Zett in his quarters for more than five minutes straight? No wonder his room is so clean. He literally lives in the hangar bay. I don't see what makes sitting all day in a dusty corner watching ships getting repaired or refueled fun. But then, boys are very strange. They are also reputed to be dull. No offense, but that's probably why boys–––"

Kan groaned and covered his ears. "Can you get to the point? You're making my head spin."

"Trust me, Kan, I know how you feel." A lanky, dark-haired youth emerged behind the chattering girl. "She's been babbling nonstop since she caught me in the service bay a few minutes ago. What are you doing up so early?"

"Actually, we were trying to find out what _you_ were doing this morning," Kan replied.

"We're both up because we have a Council meeting to go to in less than an hour."

Zett frowned. "Funny, me and my Master are up for the same thing. Something must be cooking."

"Yes," Jordin agreed. "Everyone in the Senate is screaming for war against the Separatists. I can't imagine the whole Temple going berserk just because I quit. Why should you want to kill someone? I can understand killing for self-defense, but this is ridiculous. I haven't killed anyone yet, but I know it will be a very unpleasant job. Sure, I've cut droids into scrap because they were trying to blow me or somebody else up, so I couldn't just stand there and let myself be killed, now could I? It was very interesting, seeing them fly apart into a shower of sparks and flaming metal; it was pretty, like fireworks. But it really changes the picture if you add burning flesh and blood. Not to mention screaming. Screaming is very loud, you know. I once screamed and–––"

Suddenly, all three of their comlinks signaled, much to the boys' relief. Kan flipped on the transmission. A deep, powerful voice boomed out over the static of the comlink.

"Padawan, where are you?" His Master, Ruru Xelan asked. "I need you up in the main tower immediately."

"Yes, Master." Kan switched off his comlink and clipped it back to his belt. The other apprentices had already received the same message from their own mentors and were waiting for him impatiently.

"Hurry up, Kan," Jordin said. "They said to_ hurry_, not stand there and mess around."

Kan sighed and trudged behind her.


	2. The Council Meeting

Chapter 2

Kan burst through the Council doors, unable to push down his excitement. At last, he could go on a mission. What will it be this time? He wondered, gazing expectantly at the impeccable faces of the wizened Council. Civil wars? Secret assassins? A plot to take over the galaxy? Well, maybe not a galactic takeover, he amended, but it was bound to be exciting and, in his opinion, an exhausting trip. He stared into each of the warriors' faces, trying to discern an emotion; fear, anger, sadness? He couldn't tell.

He glanced at his Master who stood quietly beside him. Ruru Xelan's body was well-matched with his deep, commanding voice. Broad-shouldered and tall, Ruru captured the very image of a Jedi in Kan's admiring eyes. All the students had always been a little awed at his powerful stance as a Jedi Master, and when Kan had been chosen by him, he had been both honored and apprehensive. But over the months, the relationship between them had strengthened, and Kan had lost all mistrust of him. He held his Master in very high esteem.

Kan watched Zett Jukassa take his place beside his own Master, Mierme Unill. Unill was a Bothan male, a very large one for his species. His black pointed beard and glossy fur framed an intelligent face and violet-rimmed eyes. Because Meirme was a Bothan, he also had the power to become invisible if he so desired. Kan figured that was the chief reason Master Unill was considered to be the stealthiest Jedi in the Order. He spooked Kan a bit; he walked so softly you never knew that he was behind you. Kan was very careful never to annoy Unill, or any Bothans in general.

Jordin Skraps came up behind Zett and stood next to her Master, Jade Yil. Jade looked like a dark humanoid species with long ebony-black hair, but in reality she was a Clawdite, a being that could shape-shift. One of Jordin's favorite activities was to question what it felt like to change shape. Her Master, in her usual silent, crabby way, would just humph and change into a wrythler snake, a creature Jordin detested. Kan couldn't understand why those two were paired up, they were both so different.

A senior member of the Council, Mace Windu, nodded toward the Jedi in greeting. "No preliminaries," Mace said in his usual no-nonsense manner. "We are all much needed, so I'll make this as brief as possible. You are only a few of the ones I have summoned," he continued. "At this moment, all Knights and Masters are being summoned to act at this particular time." He stared each of them in the eye, letting them feel the weight of his words.

"I did not include Apprentices in the summons," Mace said.

Kan felt his face fall. No! He couldn't go on the mission? He'd have to stay? He looked at his Master for reassurance. His Master was staring straight ahead. Disappointed, Kan looked back at Windu and forced himself to meet his steely gaze.

"Your Masters are much needed," Mace said. "I cannot waste time on the details to you, but be assured that this is very important. You will all remain here at the Temple, but my Apprentice, Depa Billaba, will be spared to stay here and watch over you. As you might have noticed, Yoda is not seated at this Council. He is on a private quest now, so I will lead this mission."

Up until now, Kan had not noticed that Yoda was absent. He had been too excited to pay any attention to his surroundings. He felt like kicking himself down the hall. His Master was always telling him to pay attention to even the tiniest detail, and yet here he was, unaware that the greatest Jedi in the Temple, no, in the whole _galaxy_ was gone. Sure, Yoda wasn't even three feet tall, but still...

Kan wrenched his attention back to Mace Windu. _Focus, Kan!_

"Will you do as I requested?" Mace Windu asked.

Kan felt a little flattered. Mace rarely asked anyone their own opinion. He didn't even ask Masters. He just assumed that they would obey him, regardless of what they thought. This mission _must _be important.

"Yes, Master." Kan heard himself say it, but he felt that he didn't put his heart into his answer. He couldn't understand why Xelan had to leave him at the Temple while he embarked upon a highly dangerous, and most likely life-threatening mission. It wasn't fair. But how could Kan say no?

"May the Force be with you," Windu concluded.


	3. Master and Apprentice

Chapter 3

Kan stomped after his Master, his cheeks burning. It just wasn't fair. What was so dangerous that to stop it required not one, not ten, but _two hundred _Jedi to fight it? What made the mission so diabolical that the Padawans were excluded from participating? Did the Council think that the Apprentices weren't worthy?

Ruru noticed that his Padawan was upset. Kan didn't know how his Master always knew what he was thinking, and it infuriated him. How come he didn't always know what Ruru was thinking?

His Master cared about how Kan felt. Instead of returning to his quarters, Ruru beckoned to Kan and turned his feet toward the Room of the Thousand Fountains. The room lived up to its name; it was indeed a gigantic space with over a thousand fountains joyfully bubbling and drip-dropping little splashes of water that broke upon the pebbles and and the floor and your face and your clothes and everything else. The place usually had a calming effect on Kan, but not today. instead of lifting his face up to the welcoming spray, he stared at the ground and scowled fiercely.

"Kan, you've got to control yourself."

Kan glowered even more. Unrepentant, he glared at his Master's big black boots.

After some time, Ruru crouched down so that he was eye to eye with him. "Kan, you are thirteen years old. You are ready to move onto the path of the Jedi. I can direct you onto the path, but it is you who must choose to continue on it. We have only been a team for six months, but I know that you have the makings of a true Jedi. But talent is not enough to keep you on on the path. You must _choose _to be a Jedi. I cannot force you to be one. It is very easy to get off the path. It is a narrow road, and one misstep could be your downfall. Your anger is dangerous. Take care."

Kan looked up. "If I had the abilities, Mace Windu would've let me come with you."

"Kan," Ruru said warningly. "You speak without full knowledge of what is going on."

"But it's true!"

"It is not," Ruru said gently. "You have the abilities, but you are young, and you lack control and experience. This mission is life-threatening, and it is not a good idea to expose apprentices to this kind of danger. You have been in life-threatening situations before; in fact, all the apprentices have. But there is a reason that you are all staying here. Some of us may not be coming back."

"Don't say that, Master! Of course you'll come back!"

"Are you so certain?" Ruru asked mildly. "No. Do not ever, even for a second, think that I will live forever. Our time is limited, and we only have so much before we must move on. But Death is not the end. It is a part of life, one that we all must take.

"My young Padawan, you have me here now to instruct and guide you, but what about a month from now? I may not be with you anymore. Don't look so downhearted, Kan! I'm not planning to die any time soon, but there is a risk. So take the time we have together, and learn; understand something from it."

"Always lessons; always, always, always!" Kan burst out. "Can't I just know everything?"

"No," Ruru said. "Learning is supposed to be a joy in life. If you were born knowing everything already, you would already be bored of the galaxy very early in your life. Is absolute knowledge worth that?" He paused. "Perhaps it would help you understand better if I told you what is going on."

"Yes, please, Master!"

Ruru smiled faintly. "After all, Master Windu didn't say I couldn't give you a little insight to help cool you down." He paused, then leaned in closer. "You have heard about the planets that have been seceding from the Senate recently?"

Kan nodded. Almost everyone knew about the Separatists. Traitors, most people called them. Kan didn't know enough about them to form an opinion, though.

"They are headed by an idealist, a former Jedi Master called Count Dooku," Ruru said. "The Senate has been watching with growing fear as the group starts to stock weapons and war equipment. Some fear they are planning a takeover, and the majority of the senators are demanding war, a galactic war which will tear the galaxy apart. Just recently, a leading member of the opposition against the pro-war senators, a senator from Naboo named Padmé Amidala, was the target of a hired assassin. Fortunately, a Jedi team was sent to protect her, and the assassin was apprehended. Right now, the Senator is being escorted off-planet by a Jedi."

Kan let out the breath he had been holding. He was glad that the Senator hadn't been killed. "What happened to the assassin?" he asked. "Dead? Imprisoned?"

Ruru grimaced. "Actually, the Jedi didn't kill the bounty hunter," he admitted. "She was captured, thanks to the Jedi team, but out of fear of the plan being discovered, her cohort killed her, but not quickly enough. Before the assassin died, she was able to tell the Jedi that she was hired by another bounty hunter; unfortunately, they couldn't find out who the other one was. We had a clue, however; the dart that was used to kill her. A Jedi Master called Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to find out where the dart came from. Somehow he figured out that it was made on a planet that cannot be found in the Temple Archive maps."

"What?"

"It's all very embarrassing, to say the least. The Jedi Archives are supposed to be complete. And yet, a planet was forgotten in the records." Ruru's face clouded suddenly. "Or was it?"

"Master?"

"Perhaps it wasn't left out by accident. Jocasta Nu is too meticulous to lose a record like that. No. What if it was _erased? _That doesn't make sense, though. Only a Jedi could have done that. But still…" Ruru seemed to be talking to himself now, and not to his apprentice. Kan gently plucked at his Master's sleeve.

"Master?"

Ruru shook himself, and the withdrawn look left his face as he looked back down at his apprentice. "The inhabitants are cloners, and they have cloned this army for the Republic." He paused. "They claimed that the order was sent by a Jedi Master that was killed ten years ago. And there are no records for this order. Another piece of the puzzle missing.

"And here in the Senate––– things have changed. Faced with the danger of war, the Senate has voted emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine. He makes all of the decisions now. He has agreed to war, and he is going to use the clone army to fight the Separatists. Yoda is going to see the army now."

"But where are you going?"

"Kenobi has been captured by the Separatists," Ruru said. "We are all going to rescue him."

"That many to rescue just one?" Kan couldn't believe it. Certainly one Jedi wasn't worth risking all of their lives.

His Master, as usual, guessed his thoughts. "One is worth all," he said softly. "For the sake of even one, we will risk our own lives to save him. It is more serious than you know. You must remember this––– we must do all we can to save a life, even if we die trying."

"Yes Master."

"You must do this. For me. For yourself. For all of us. Stay here and do not hinder us. That is my last command to you. Do you understand?"

Kan nodded. He didn't want to mess things up for the Jedi. He could guess the danger they were all in. They had their own duty. He would do his.

Ruru stood up and walked away. There was no more to say. His Master never wasted words. And it was time to leave. But suddenly, Kan felt that he was watching his Master walking down a dark path. With a river of blood at the end. And there was nothing Kan could do to stop him.

He could only say good-bye.

"Master," Kan called. Ruru half-turned. "May the Force be with you."

He saw his Master smile, and all the resentment he had left vanished. "Good-bye, Padawan," he said. "May the Force be with you."

Kan's face broke into a grin, but immediately, it turned back into a frown. He had a bad feeling about this.

Why did he feel as though those were to be the last words his Master said to him?


	4. Meet Adriaan and the Wicked Club

Chapter 4

An hour later, Kan was still in the same spot, by the fountain, where his Master had left him. He stared up at the ceiling, deaf and blind to the world around him. He had a lot of thinking to do. All that Ruru had told him spun around in his head. He was starting to get a headache from thinking so much.

Knowing the reasons why he was being left behind didn't take away his fury, not entirely. Kan felt that there was a deeper reason why he was being left out. He went over and over all the things he had done in his lifetime, looking for anything that would cause him to lose favor with the Council.

The problem was, he had never done anything really bad, at least bad enough for the Council to demote him like this. From as far as he could remember, he had always been on time for classes, he did his homework, and he worked hard. He had never gotten a reprimand or suspended or anything. So what was the problem?

Nothing. He wasn't the only one being left behind. So it had nothing to do with him. He was just being thickheaded. It wouldn't be the first time.

Kan struggled to turn his mind elsewhere. It wasn't any good to dwell on thoughts like these.

The new development in the Senate ––– Chancellor Palpatine given emergency powers. He struggled to make sense of it. The Senate had always been to decide things on their own. It took a ridiculous amount of time for them to agree on anything, but it was still the key to keeping stability in the galaxy. Or had it? Now it was beginning to break up, with the Separatists leaving and all. And the Chancellor was very popular among the people ––– they had insisted that he remained in office after his term expired. And the Senate was beginning to feel helpless. No wonder they turned to this man to protect them, to make the decisions for them. But was Palpatine the right man for the job? The Council had seemed disturbed, but Kan had assumed it was because of Obi-Wan. Now he wondered. What if it was the exchange of power that was worrying them?

He frowned. Well, whatever was making the Jedi worried, it wasn't his business to know. After all, his mission was to sit here patiently and wait for some high-and-mighty Jedi to remember him. Frustrated, he shook himself, causing the water to cascade off him in torrents.

Suddenly, a high peal of laughter echoed across the space. Kan leaped to his feet at the sound. "Oh no," a silvery voice said, not sounding in the least distressed, "Windu isn't going to be happy about water puddles on his ship."

A long-legged, graceful figure materialized in front of him, and it threw a dark hood off its head, releasing a waterfall of golden hair. It was a girl, and she was very young, about seventeen or eighteen ––– the age of an Apprentice ––– but Kan couldn't see the traditional braid Padawans wore on her shoulder. Her eyes were bluish gray and large, and her face looked wistful and sad, which contrasted sharply with her hearty grin.

"Ex ––– excuse me," Kan stammered. "I didn't know you were here, honest. I'm really sorry."

The girl laughed again. "There's nothing to be sorry about," she said. "I was wet anyway."

"Oh, um." Kan suddenly felt awkward. He had no idea who, and what, this ethereal woman was. "Pardon me, but who are you?"

"Who am I?" she asked. "Well, for starters, I am a Jedi Knight." She stuck out her hand. "Master Adriaan ell Talaan at your service. However, I would prefer that you cut out all the formalities and call me Adriaan," she added. "I think Master ell Talaan sounds weird."

"A Jedi Knight?!" Kan almost fell over in astonishment. "But, but you look –––"

"––– Like a kid," Adriaan finished cheerfully. "Yes, in a manner of speaking, I _am_ a kid. I'm only eighteen years old, which means I just became an adult. But to tell you the truth, it doesn't feel any different."

Something pricked Kan's memory. A story he had once heard, while he had been a Youngling. "Oh, I think I remember something," he said. "About a year ago, an Apprentice got knighted. She was about sixteen years old, I think. I believe she did something on a mission that really impressed the Council, so much that they let her take on knighthood early. Was that you?"

She nodded. "Yep, that's me, all right. I don't see what impressed them, though. It was my friend, Darc Chun-be, that they were interested in. They wanted to speed up the time it took an Apprentice to become a knight, and they nominated Darc to start the trials early. But a few things happened that changed the whole outlook of their decision."

"Hey, wait a minute," Kan said. "That name sounds familiar. Chun-be. Hey, isn't that the Padawan who–––"

Adriaan's face was neutral, but he saw her eyes flash. "Quit."

"Yes." He suddenly felt very vulnerable under her steely gaze. "Some sort of spat among the Apprentices made him leave, I've heard."

"Spat? Hardly," Adriaan said contemptuously. "Darc was my friend. I happened to know all the details of the 'spat', as you call it. On a mission, he was unjustly accused of killing a Master ––– _his_ Master. No one believed him, and he couldn't take their mistrust of him any longer, so he left. Could you call that a 'spat'?"

"I–––I'm-m-m-m s-s-s-sorry," Kan stammered. "I d-d-didn't know –––"

"Well, now you do," she said abruptly. "And now that you know the facts about the 'spat' I'd prefer that the name of Darc Chun-be never to be mentioned in my presence. He, well…he was a coward and a weakling to leave…so he is no longer my friend."

Kan stared at her for a moment. She looked angry, but she had a lonely, ravaged look in her eyes, and Kan wondered if she missed Darc, even though she was mad at him for having a lack of perseverance.

That apparently ended the subject, for the steel mask seemed to suddenly slip from her face, and she straightened, her gaze tilting upward, toward the artificial sunlight that streamed from the glowrods above them. They had been put up there to give the appearance of the passage of the sun across the sky, so the room seemed to change as the day went by. "I apologize," she said gruffly, "that was uncalled for, and it was rude. I'm just real ––– touchy on that subject. I hope I didn't scare you too badly." Her brow creased into a frown.

Kan shook his head in astonishment. Adriaan was a strange creature. First she's friendly, then she blows up in anger, and the next minute she's friendly again. One thing was for certain ––– you would never be bored with Adriaan around.

He decided to change the subject. "So, um," he began, "Are you going to stay here at the Temple while the others go on the mission?"

Adriaan looked at him mildly. "You know about that?" she asked. "No. I'm going with Windu to Geonosis. Even though I'm the youngest knight in the Temple, I'm very skilled, according to the Jedi Council. Yoda personally asked me to go. I've had a lot of experience in rescue attempts. At least, I have a lot of experience in getting rescued." Her face broke into a wide, disarming grin, showing a straight row of clean, white teeth. Kan smiled back, realizing that he had just made a very good friend.

"What kind of missions have you gone on?" he asked curiously.

Adriaan leaned against the edge of a fountain casually, gazing up at the fine mist hanging in the air. "All types, kiddo," she said. "rescue, undercover, bodyguards, Senate disputes." she made a wry grimace. "Boring stuff, Senatorial procedures. I can't see what makes them so interesting. Anyway, probably the most memorable of my experiences ––– and likely my most successful mission ––– was when I was enslaved by space pirates and toiled in their nest for over a year. But it has a good ending, so don't worry, I'm not trying to scare you so you can't go to sleep tonight. We revolted and set an entire planet free."

Kan looked at her in admiration. "Wow," he said. He paused for a moment. He realized now that he hadn't even told her his name yet. "By the way, I'm Kan Enik. My Master is Ruru Xelan. He's leaving today with Master Windu." He felt his heart sink as he said it. "I'm staying here."

Adriaan noticed the change in his expression immediately. "I understand how you feel," she said kindly. "It's boring, just waiting for the others to come back, to tell, of their successes, their experiences…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "…their losses."

Kan nodded dejectedly.

Adriaan's face lit up. "I've got it!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Why don't I pick you up a little something while I'm on Geonosis ––– a souvenir ––– something along that line? Geonosis is inhabited by creatures whose expertise is in weaponry. They're very high-tech, I've heard. Would you like one?"

Kan attempted to smile. It was a ridiculous offer ––– but it was a kind one. It was like an ancient Master who had forgotten how old you were and had offered a laser toy as a present on the day of your knighthood. But it was the thought that counted, and it made him feel a bit better ––– he still felt angry, but it had lessened. But then he remembered what his Master had warned, and his doubts returned. "But, but what if you –––" his voice failed to finish the sentence. _Die. What if you don't return?_

Adriaan knew, or rather guessed what he hadn't said. "It is possible," she said softly. "I may not return. For all must die. Don't worry, Kan. We each have our share of time in life, sometimes it ends soon, sometimes later, but all must eventually leave. We must use the time that is given to us. I'll be all right."

Kan nodded slowly, though his fears weren't completely done away.

Adriaan knew this, he could tell, but both of them knew that she couldn't do more for him. She put a hand on his shoulder briefly, smiling bravely. Then she turned and disappeared into the watery mist. Except for a faint breath of wind marking her passing, Kan would have sworn that she had been no more than a dream. His thoughts came crashing back to reality when he remembered that he was starving. His eyes traveled toward the entrance that led to the Temple kitchens, his senses informing him that the afternoon meal was being prepared. Miraculously, his stomach always knew when dinner was ready. He strode out into the hallway, his spirits rising at the prospect of food as a tantalizing smell wafted down the corridor. _Mmm, muja muffins today, _he thought dreamily, his steps beginning to lengthen. _I can't be late..._

_BAM_!

Seven small figures suddenly came galloping down the hall, barreling into him and sending him head over heels and slamming against the wall.

_Ow._ Kan sat up gingerly, rubbing his head. He could feel a gigantic, painful lump swelling there. Kan clenched his fists and scowled at the newcomers, who had halted and gathered noisily about him, not in the least embarrassed.

There were about a half dozen of them, and they all swirled about, brandishing training lightsabers and making ludicrous grimaces. They all wore aqua blue tunics, making it hard for Kan to distinguish one from the other. Each sported a laserball helmet with silver sea birds emblazoned on their sides. The tallest of the group abruptly halted before Kan and held up a hand. The rest came to a standstill. A pair of bright blue eyes twinkled beneath the helmet's visor as the leader stared Kan down.

Kan gaped, incredulous. His "attackers" were no more than younglings!

"Hello," the leader of the group said. "Do you taste GOOD?"

Kan's mouth fell open wider. "N-n-n-no," he stammered. What kind of a question was that? How should he know what he tasted like? _And who would care?_

The boys all grinned at him. "WICKED!"

"Um, okay," Kan mumbled, really confused now, "but ––– what are you?"

They all gasped. The leader's face darkened into a frown, while the others exchanged mischievous glances.

"Are you not one of us?" the boy asked. "Are you not WICKED?!"

"I ––– I don't know what you mean –––"

"Don't know? Too dull?" he shouted, waving his arms. "EVERYONE KNOW! WICKED! EVERYONE! ME –––" he looked toward his friends, his eyebrows raised. "ME WHAT, WICKEDS?" he asked them, his voice slightly ominous.

Luckily, they knew the answer, for they all smirked and said in one voice. "YOU WICKED WICKED WICKED TRULY WICKED WICKED AEDAN WICKED KENOBI WICKED WICKED THE KING WICKED OF WICKED!!"

Aedan turned triumphantly to Kan. "Now you WICKEDLY know!" he said.

"So, you are Aedan Kenobi…" Kan began.

"Add WICKED to your sentence, if you please," Aedan cut in. "I am grossly offended at all forms of GOODNESS. I say WICKED to keep my WICKEDNESS WICKEDEST." Aedan removed his helmet, shaking sweaty blond hair away from his red face. He was thin and wiry, with a pointed face that had a large mouth grinning from ear to ear. He looked to about eight or nine years old, but a fierce energy radiated from him, hinting a huge connection to the Force. The rest of the group removed their masks also, revealing an assortment of young, eager boys.

Aedan bowed mockingly. "Allow me to introduce my faithfully WICKED WICKEDS," he said. He pointed to a skinny youth who stood close by, chewing on his blond padawan braid. "This is my WICKED-in-command," he said. "I give you, WICKED Terry Nirud."

Terry waved a grimy hand vacantly, still intent on chewing his braid to pieces.

A small, crimson haired boy with almond-shaped eyes smiled in greeting. "I am the snack snatcher dude, Na'thin."

"Yes," Aedan said, moving down to two blond boys with dull, bantha-like expressions which made Kan wonder how they could even be Jedi students. "Intelligence units, blah blah blah; of course, geniuses don't always look sharp," Aedan said, gesturing toward them. "Relatives, of course. Cousins. WICKED Sai'wer and WICKED Jahn Pal. Boys, say, 'WICKED'."

"Huh?" they asked, looking blankly at one another. "Good-bye, kitty-cat?"

"His name is WICKED Kan," Aedan told them.

"Kitty," they murmured.

Aedan rolled his eyes. "Let us move on to our WICKED, joyful, happy comedian. Whatever. Minir Voss."

A dark-haired boy jerked involuntarily and scowled even fiercer than before.

"Yes, well, he's having a GOOD day," Aedan explained. "WICKEDLY sorry, as sorry as WICKED people can be."

Finally, he stopped in front of the last boy. He was the tiniest of the group, but his grin was just as wide. His blond hair was almost white, and his eyes were an odd neon green. "The strategist," Aedan said, "WICKED Kien Mariner."

Kan was beginning to feel dizzy trying to categorize these vagabonds in his mind. His thoughts were all in a jumble, thanks to Aedan's running commentary on "wickeds" and "goods". Then, miracle of miracles, something jogged his memory and cleared the mud in his brain. he turned to the Wicked King. "You said your name is Kenobi," he began. "I am wondering whether Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is of any distant relation to you, though that seems hardly possible, seeing that –––"

"Brothers," Aedan interrupted. "But ties of blood are nothing to the WICKED King! He is a shame to the Kenobi's! GOODNESS!"

"Oh," Kan murmured. Then he continued timidly. "So, um, you are a club, Aedan? A Wicked club?" he added hastily, catching the warning glance Aedan gave him.

In answer, Aedan suddenly lunged at Kan, who stepped back in surprise. "My name is Aedan," the boy spat, his face just millimeters from Kan. "But do not address me by that name. I must be called **WICKED**!"

"Wicked King, live forever!" Kan gasped, finding his voice at last.

Aedan's face relaxed. Grinning crookedly, he stepped back. "WICKED," he said approvingly. "But there was no need to wish me a WICKEDLY long life, for I will always live! The WICKED _NEVER _die!"

"I… see," Kan said. He must be more careful in the future to call Aedan by the right name. "Now, can you answer my question? Or is that considered 'good'?"

"No," Terry said, not catching onto the sarcasm in Kan's voice. "In fact, it was very WICKED of you to ask. It shows interest in our WICKEDNESS. By, the way, did we tell you that we are a WICKED club who's lifetime interest is to be totally WICKED?"

"WICKED!" Everyone echoed.

"Why, no, you didn't tell me," Kan remarked drily.

"Ship at the dining hall," Jahn Pal said suddenly.

"Ship eat fuel, go bye-bye!" Sai'wer agreed.

Aedan's face lit up, as if suddenly reminded he had business elsewhere. "Gotta go, my WICKED," he said to Kan.

"GOOD-BYE!" they all screamed as they shot down the hall, leaving Kan standing alone in astonishment.

"Wait!" he shouted. All that answered was the vibrating echoes of his own voice bouncing off the walls. Kan slumped wearily. He didn't know what the boys were about to do, but he felt it wasn't anything good. He raced after them, cursing his sluggish pace. _Move, Kan. Go go go!_

Calling upon the Force to help, He soon located the muffled screams of the Wicked Club, guiding him through the maze of corridors.

He burst through the doors of the docking bay, just in time to see Jahn Pal duck inside a cruiser, Sai'wer following close behind. Puffing furiously from his exertion, Kan put on a fresh burst of speed and rushed into the ship after them.

Aedan looked up calmly from the datascreen he had been scrutinizing. "Ah, yes," he said, as if he had been expecting Kan, "Kan, my WICKED, come in, come in. You should see this ship! It's WICKED! Look at all this WICKED information stored here!" He pressed a series of buttons and sent several holofiles, containing information on planets, systems, and solutions to difficulties encountered while in the deep jungle of the cosmos, into the air.

"What are you doing?" Kan sputtered. "Numbskulls! You can't board this ship without permission! It's all fueled and ready for takeoff! You could trigger takeoff by accident! Then where would you be?"

"In space," Aedan said mockingly. "Do not make the mistake of doubting my WICKEDNESS, young GOOD fool. I am capable of piloting this thing."

"That's not the point," Kan said, exasperated. "The point is you are not allowed on here!"

"Says who?"

"The Masters!" Kan exploded. "The Jedi Council! The whole Temple! Younglings don't belong on these ships."

"I act on my own WICKED permission," Aedan said.

Kan stamped his foot. "_Your_ permission doesn't count!" he thundered. "And man, are you ever going to be in for it when they find out about this, you little sneak."

"Sneak?" the others echoed. "_SNEAK_? Sneaks are GOOD!"

Aedan was scratching his head thoughtfully. "The GOOD man does have a point, WICKEDS," he said. He turned to Jahn Pal and Sai'wer. "Stand guard outside," he ordered. "And alert me if any GOODS are sighted."

"Huh?" Jahn Pal asked.

"Go sleep outside?" Sai'wer wondered.

Aedan rolled his eyes. "Go, you GOODS, _GO_!" he screamed, pushing them out of the room. After he made sure that they had followed his instructions, he settled back into the pilot seat, absently toying with the controls.

Furious, Kan turned his back on Aedan and looked out the window. Jahn Pal was sprawled on the ramp, and a thin river of saliva was collecting in a pool at the bottom. Sai'wer crouched in plain sight behind a durasteel bin. The rest of the bay seemed deserted. Except for a few battered starfighters, the hangar was empty. Suddenly a small movement in the shadows caught his attention, and he fixed his gaze to the spot. Soon he was able to discern a small brown figure creeping toward the ship. Kan squinted to see better when a ray of sunlight reflected off the top of the figure, illuminating fiery gold hair upon a cream tunic.

Jordin.

Did she see him? Kan watched as she slid behind a pile of discarded vehicle parts, blending in with the shadows. He sighed with relief. Good. She was only looking for Zett. But then his relief gave way to panic. What if she was looking for Kan, too?

He had no time to wonder, for suddenly another, taller figure appeared, striding quickly toward the ship.

It was Adriaan.


	5. Stowaways

Chapter 5

Aedan saw the danger as soon as Kan did. Without a word, he whipped out his comlink and dialed a number. "Jahn Pal, code W-I-C-K-E-D," he rapped out. "G-O-O-D sighted, Action CKI328. Copy, WICKED?"

A voice fogged with sleep came over the speaker. "Hello," Jahn Pal mumbled over the static. "Me following orders. No food. No sleep. Stay here. Alert Aedan…"

"Hey, look at the pretty lady." Sai'wer popped into the frequency.

"Yes, look at her," Aedan said sarcastically. "She's the G-O-O-D taking Action CKI328!"

"Uh-Oh!" the cousins sounded alarmed. "Hurry, get on board before we disappear!"

Aedan rolled his eyes. "You're_ supposed _to disappear!" he shouted. "You're in plain GOOD sight!"

Kan heard someone whimper. "Sai'wer? Where are you, Sai'wer?" Jahn Pal said, his voice desperate. "_Where are you?"_

Kan looked out the window again. Sai'wer was clutching his friend's hand as if he could never let go. "I don't know," Sai'wer answered.

"Oh, GOOD," Aedan said. "They're taking Action DGO5711."

"What the blazings…" Kan muttered.

"They're made of such pure WICKED genius," Terry explained to the bewildered Kan, "and they spend so much energy and WICKED time contemplating things only nerdy professors can understand, they can't see beyond their WICKED faces."

"Kien, Minir!" Aedan said. "Take Action W-I-C-K-E-D 207WICKED!"

Kien and Minir raced out of the hold as if they were running for their lives.

In the same moment, Adriaan had paused to inspect a mutilated starship, turning her face away from Kan's transport to view the broken hull from all angles. Even before her back was completely turned, Kien and Minir darted to the bottom of the ramp and dragged the cousins out of view. The young knight turned back around and continued toward the ship a microsecond later. Kien and Minir tumbled into the cockpit, holding Jahn Pal and Sai'wer by their ears.

"Mission WICKED complete," Minir said, looking with undisguised disgust at the "genius" boys, who were sprawling at his feet, slobbering all over his boots like playful nek pups. Minir turned up his nose and his face twitched as he backed away.

Na'thin nudged Aedan. "GOOD coming," he said. "WICKEDLY disappear?"

"Na'thin has a WICKED idea," Aedan said. "I say we WICKEDLY hide!"

"WICKED!" they all said, scattering to find refuge. Before five seconds had passed, every trace of the Wicked Club was quietly and effectively hidden.

Kan stood by the pilot seat, staring blankly at the holofiles suspended in the air above him. Suddenly the sound of a booted foot clanging against the durasteel ramp shattered the silence, and without thinking Kan instinctively reached out and pressed a key. The files shimmered in the air and slowly faded, concealing the last bit of evidence the intruders had failed to hide.

Suddenly, he felt something claw him from behind, and he impulsively twisted in the attacker's grasp to fight back. Instead he was violently yanked into a storage closet, one that he hadn't noticed before, for its door had been in flush with the wall.

"Kan, you can't just stand there and let them find you," Jordin hissed in his ear.

His mouth dropped open. "What are you doing here?!" he whispered furiously. "You were supposed to be looking for Zett!"

Her smile didn't waver. "I was supposed to look for _Zett_?" she asked. "I wasn't looking for_ him_, I was looking for _you._ Sorry. Zett is snoring away in a corner behind the broken starfighter. I was getting bored, listening to him snore; you know how it is, watching someone sleep. I told you, remember? Then I saw you chasing those weird kids ––– why do they scream "wicked" all the time? ––– anyway, I thought you might need help. I don't understand why those dumb boys were drooling all over the ramp; I think it had just been cleaned, too. They were very rude to mess it up. Where did they all go, anyway? Don't tell me they –––"

"Quiet!" Kan said. "I had everything under control. You'll just mess everything up."

"It looked like you were doing a great job," Jordin remarked sarcastically. "And don't bother talking back to me primarily because you'll lose the argument, secondly because I'm right and you're wrong. By the way, the Masters are right outside the door."

Before she even finished speaking, Kan heard the doors hiss open. He clapped a hand over her mouth and tensed, listening. He couldn't hear her silent stride, but a powerful wave of the Force hit him like a thunderbolt, warning him of Adriaan's arrival. He shrank as far back into the supply closet as he could go, hoping that she was too preoccupied to feel his presence.

_Why are you hiding?_ he suddenly felt silly, hiding from a Jedi that he knew and liked. He hadn't done anything bad to cause him to hide, after all. He had been trying to stop a bunch of insane kids from taking off in a ship, that was all. So why was he hiding?

_I want to go on that mission. _It was useless to deny it. Knowing why the Apprentices were forbidden to accompany their Masters on the mission only sharpened his hunger for action. A pang of guilt swept over him. He was hiding because he didn't want to be left behind, because he didn't want to listen to the bossy old Council. His life had been in jeopardy before. He should be allowed to stand by his Master and fight.

_That doesn't make it right._

He should go out and show himself. The deed he was about to commit would drag on him for the rest of his life if he decided to do it. And if he was caught in the act… Kan preferred not to think about that. There were stories of students getting expelled for disobeying or lying to the Council. Was it worth all the risk?

Suddenly, he heard the sound of several pairs of boots stomping up the ramp and into the cockpit, shattering his thoughts and leaving his question unanswered. He cautiously peeked out from behind the door of his hideout. Quickly he stuck his head back in, his eyes wide with horror.

_"Who?" _Jordin's eyes asked him silently.

"Tira-Auris, Nadma Okiwa, Jade Yil, Siri Tachi and Coleman Trebor," Kan breathed.

Jordin stifled a shriek at the mention of her Master. "Oh, no."

Master Siri Tachi was a slim human female dressed in a dark unisuit. Kan didn't know much about her, except for the fact that her Padawan, Ferus Olin, had left the Jedi Order a few years before, and she had never taken on another Apprentice since. He also knew that she was keenly in tune with the Living Force, and she could easily find Kan if she sensed he was aboard.

Nadma Okiwa, an Arkanian Jedi with a white hair and pale blue eyes, was the Master of an elite student called Kay Lee. Coleman Trebor, a tall, strong Vurk, carried a green lightsaber and had was renowned for his calm, diplomatic nature. As for Tira-Auris, she was nothing less than the meanest, grumpiest and nastiest Jedi in the entire Temple. As if that weren't enough, she had super acute hearing senses and could hear your heartbeat several meters away.

This wasn't good.

Luckily, the Jedi were all too busy getting ready to takeoff that they weren't listening to the Force, warning of the nine students hidden throughout the ship.

"Who wants to pilot this thing?" Adriaan asked.

"You go ahead." Kan heard Master Trebor speak up. "I think we all agree that you are the best pilot the Jedi Order has ever produced."

"No, _one_, not _the_ best," Adriaan said modestly.

Kan heard someone snort. "Nobody has bothered to give credit to _my_ skills as a pilot."

"Oh, get off your high seat, grumpy old Tira," Adriaan said cheerfully.

"You are the one putting on airs as a knight," Tira-Auris said huffily. "If I were the Council, I'd stick you back in your place, as a Padawan."

"But you are not a Council member," Adriaan said. "You are just a knight."

Jordin and Kan exchanged scandalized glances. They had never before heard Masters speak so rudely to each other. They had assumed that the Jedi were always peaceful and agreed with each other.

There was a tense silence. The quiet thudded in Kan's head louder than the sound of billions of waterfalls. Finally, it was broken by Adriaan, who murmured softly, "Forgive me, Master, it was unbecoming of me to act in this way. The mission cannot begin if we go at each other like battle dogs. I apologize."

Tira-Auris huffed, hardly sounding forgiving.

Apparently, Adriaan didn't notice, for Kan suddenly heard her stiffen, as if listening carefully.

"Something is out of place here," she said.

Kan felt the blood drain from his face. He looked at Jordin helplessly. Her face was ashen.

He heard boots thumping slowly toward him, and he involuntarily flinched. _I'm in for it now._

Then the comm system signaled.

The boots stopped in mid-stride. "What is it?" Adriaan asked abruptly.

"All groups set. Prepare your ship for takeoff and fly toward the designated coordinates," the comlink crackled. "May the Force be with you."

"You." Kan heard Adriaan cut off the transmission and head for the pilot seat. He stifled a sigh of relief and glanced at Jordin. She didn't speak, but her face plainly told him what she was thinking. _That was too close._

He felt the hum of the engine vibrate the durasteel floor beneath his feet as Adriaan did the preflight check. He heard the systems beep in confirmation that everything was running smoothly. Kan's stomach lurched as the ship pulled forward, accelerating and lifting off the ground as its pilot propelled it expertly into the space lane.

The ship left the atmosphere and shot out into the emptiness of space.

They were off.


	6. Landing on Geonosis

Chapter 6

_ "Kan Enik, you must keep going."_

_ "I can't."_

_ "You can. I know what you are. I know you can do it."_

_ "Kan, help me!" Jordin was screaming, but he couldn't see her. He didn't know where she was. He couldn't move. _

_ "Am I dead?"_

_ "Come, my WICKED men, let us destroy the GOODS!" _

_ Voices sounded all around him. "Yah! The Croakers! The Croakers! GOODS!" _

_ The voices faded away, yet the echoing still rang in his ears._

_ The Croakers. GOODS. The Croakers. Croakers, croakers…_

_ "Kan." _

Kan stifled a snore as he tried to open his eyes and sit up. His legs felt like water, the result of crouching motionless in one place for so long. Jordin was peeking from behind the door, trying to see what was going on inside the cockpit.

They had been in hyper-space for hours ––– maybe days ––– now, and Kan had spent the long dull hours sleeping. By eavesdropping on their Jedi pilots, the Padawans had figured out that their destination, Geonosis, was an obscure planet in the Outer Rim inhabited by large, insect-like creatures.

Suddenly, their craft lurched as it came out of hyper-space and into real-space.

"We're here, everybody," Adriaan called out.

"Excellent," Master Tachi answered. "Master Nu told me that the security checkpoints here are slack. Since there are countless asteroid impacts on the planet each day, the Geonosians tend to take ships for space debris, if the pilot pulls the landing off correctly."

"Should be easy," Coleman said.

"A baby could do it," Adriaan agreed.

Kan stuck his head out curiously. Adriaan was still seated at the controls, yet her posture was as energetic and unweary as before. Okiwa, Trebor and Tachi were all sitting hunched over datafiles. Jade Yil and Tira-Auris were snoring away in their chairs. Kan's gaze swept over to the nav screen and his eyes widened with wonder.

A planet shimmered on the screen, a large, blood-red globe cloaked in a dull haze as the wind swept the dust across its surface. Around it was a dark belt of asteroids, a lethal obstacle that many space pilots would choose to avoid. It looked forbidding, but it had a fierce, wild beauty to it, attracting and repelling him at once. It took his breath away just looking at it.

"Isn't it pretty?" Jordin whispered.

Kan nodded, speechless.

"Looks aren't everything," Jade Yil said, as if answering Kan's thoughts. He heard her rustling in her chair as she sat up, yawning. "My Apprentice looks like that, except she's prettier. But Jordin will be the death of me, with that mouth of hers."

Jordin winced at her Master's words. Kan could tell that Jade's speech had hurt Jordin, who had always had a high opinion of her Master. True, Jordin could be annoying, but underneath she was really just a young girl who adored her Master and wanted to please her. Kan gazed at her with sympathy. He would feel terrible if Ruru said nasty things about him behind his back.

A mask seemed to slide over her face, and her brow smoothed out. Her teeth clamped together grimly. Kan watched her, half-fascinated. She wasn't going to give in to petty emotions like disappointment and anger just because of what someone said about her. Kan admired her determination. It was hard, he knew, to remain indifferent to mean comments.

"We're in the atmosphere," Adriaan called. "Master Windu has sent us the coordinates of our landing spot."

"I'm not getting any readings on hostile craft of any kind," Master Trebor said. "The whole planet looks like a graveyard."

"That's good," Adriaan said. "It means we haven't been spotted."

"Or they have spotted us and are going into hiding," Master Tachi pointed out. "The natives aren't warriors, but they manufacture weaponry. Their society depends on war, pretty much. Geonosis isn't well-known; no one has had any reason to deal with the Geonosians. I've heard that they're all pretty greedy." She grimaced.

Adriaan jabbed a finger at the navscreen, indicating long, needle-like formations protruding from the harsh landscape like hard, jagged teeth. "Do you see those tower-like structures? That's probably where they're all skulking, if Siri is correct. The planet is most likely crawling with wild creatures. The whole place looks pretty harsh. My guess is that the Geos like to keep indoors."

The comm system crackled. "Master ell Talaan, do you copy?"

Adriaan pressed the button for the speaker. "Proceeding. No sign of hostile presence. What's wrong?"

"Change in coordinates. New RV 5000, 2810, 0010…"

"Got it."

Adriaan expertly guided the ship toward one of the enormous towers, skimming the rocky surface gracefully. Suddenly she cut the power and wrenched the controls to the right, and their craft dropped like a stone, making Kan's stomach lurch. It descended swiftly, landing perfectly on the stony landscape and kicking up a slight puff of dust, creating a slightly dramatic effect as it contacted with the ground.

"We're here," Adriaan said.

Kan watched as the Jedi strapped on their utility belts, swiftly checking comlinks, lightsabers, and other survival equipment, making sure everything worked soundly. Siri Tachi glanced out the cockpit window as she tightened the straps on her boots. "Master Windu has landed," she said. "We'd better hurry. He doesn't like to waste time."

"We're ready," Coleman Trebor said.

One by one, the Jedi filed out of the ship. Kan waited for a few agonizing moments, which seemed more like hours, before he summoned enough courage to stand up and cautiously look out the window. Below him, he saw Adriaan striding toward a dark, commanding figure. Mace Windu nodded in greeting, his arms calmly folded across his chest, his gaze traveling over his surroundings. Behind Adriaan, the other Jedi hurried forward to greet the great Master.

He sighed with relief and rolled out of the utility closet, wincing as circulation returned to his numb limbs. Jordin clumsily followed, getting her legs tangled beneath her as she tumbled out. She sprawled awkwardly on the floor and groaned. "I'm never hiding again. Never, never, never."

Kan's stomach growled loudly. He realized now that he hadn't eaten for a very long time.

"And I'm practically dead from starvation," Jordin complained. "I wonder if I will die soon. What is it like to die? I wonder why no one has even the least idea of what it is like to die. I wonder if it hurts, or if you can see anything. I wonder if –––"

"Be quiet, GOODS," a familiar, much-dreaded voice said. A closet door burst open and Aedan sprang out, looking fully rested but dirtier than ever. He stood in the middle of the floor, grinning devilishly. "I am so WICKEDLY happy to see that there are other WICKEDS in the galaxy besides WICKED ME," he said. "It takes WICKEDNESS, guts, and WICKEDNESS to do what we, the WICKEDS, just did. I salute you. WICKED!"

"I am not wicked, I am a very good apprentice," Jordin said. "And you will obey me, since I am the most mature of the group here." She glared at Kan.

Kan held his breath, expecting a temper tantrum from Aedan at any moment, followed by a great battle of the wills between the two most stubborn students in the Jedi Temple. It didn't pay to say that you were "good" in front of Aedan.

But to his surprise, Aedan's smile didn't waver. "Of course, it is inevitable that you were born GOOD," he said. "All girls were born GOOD, so I have never invited them to my club or expected them to follow my own WICKED rules. They are at the very top of my GOOD list. I am only offended by GOOD boys."

Jordin stamped her foot. "That's not fair!" she exploded. "Just because I'm a girl, I'm automatically 'good'? This is ridiculous! I shall never speak to you again." As if to demonstrate this, she clamped her mouth shut and folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

"How WICKED of you to remain silent," Aedan said. "GOOD prattling hurts me like a GOOD."

"GOODS! Ewww!" Several small compartments suddenly opened,releasing six grimy yet energetic boys.

"WICKED-O, my cheerio!" Terry said.

"Yo-yo, my WICKED!" Na'thin yelled.

"Bantha-brains, wake-up!" Kien chimed in. "What are you, GOOD?"

"Oh, uh, yah," Jahn Pal said. "Good-bye! Pretty girl WICKED!"

"No!" Aedan said. "She GOOD!"

"Boys are GOOD," Sai'wer murmured sleepily. "Aedan the GOODEST."

"Idiots! Numbskulls! GOODS!" Aedan screamed. "How dare you call me GOOD! _MY NAME IS TRULY WICKED! I HAVE NO OTHER NAME! _W-W-I-I-C-C-K-K-E-E-D-D!!"

"You should kick them out," Minir said. "Disgraceful. They'll make us GOOD."

"We'll never turn GOOD!" Aedan shrieked. "We always be WICKED!" he turned to Jahn Pal and Sai'wer. "Have you figured out the unknown solution to the WICKEDEST equation in the galaxy yet?"

"Oh, yes," Jahn Pal said. "We have figured out the unknown solution to one plus one."

"What?" Kan asked sarcastically.

"QUIET!" Aedan thundered. "Let the WICKEDS speak!"

"After many days of complex mathematical figuring," Sai'wer said. "By pure genius, we discovered the answer to the diabolical equation that has boggled the minds of even the most nerdy of scientists for centuries."

Everyone stared in silence.

"The answer is seven," the cousins said proudly.

"Unbelievably WICKED!" Aedan shouted.

"WICKED," the others echoed.

"The answer isn't seven," Jordin pointed out. "It's two."

Aedan puffed his chest out proudly. "Girls have no sense of how to do math properly and WICKEDLY," he said pompously. " It is WICKEDLY clear ––– the answer is seven."

"WICKED," the others agreed.

Jordin opened her mouth to retort, but Aedan cut her off. "And now, my WICKEDS," he said, "the mission."

"Rescue your GOOD brother and make him WICKED again," Terry said.

"WICKED!" Aedan said.

"But you're just kids," Kan argued. "Two hundred of the best Jedi are out here. They'll rescue him without a problem."

"But they aren't WICKED," Na'thin said. "They are huge. We are little. The GOODS can't see us."

"He has a point," Jordin told to Kan. "We can't just sit here. It won't hurt to help."

Kan hesitated. He was the oldest here, so he felt he had a responsibility to them all. They were flunking the Jedi's orders just by being here, so it wouldn't really matter if they finished what they had begun, would it?

_These kids will go on even if I don't. They need me to watch over them._

He took a deep breath. "I'm in," he said.


	7. Massiff Attack!

Chapter 5

Aedan saw the danger as soon as Kan did. Without a word, he whipped out his comlink and dialed a number. "Jahn Pal, code W-I-C-K-E-D," he rapped out. "G-O-O-D sighted, Action CKI328. Copy, WICKED?"

A voice fogged with sleep came over the speaker. "Hello," Jahn Pal mumbled over the static. "Me following orders. No food. No sleep. Stay here. Alert Aedan…"

"Hey, look at the pretty lady." Sai'wer popped into the frequency.

"Yes, look at her," Aedan said sarcastically. "She's the G-O-O-D taking Action CKI328!"

"Uh-Oh!" the cousins sounded alarmed. "Hurry, get on board before we disappear!"

Aedan rolled his eyes. "You're_ supposed _to disappear!" he shouted. "You're in plain GOOD sight!"

Kan heard someone whimper. "Sai'wer? Where are you, Sai'wer?" Jahn Pal said, his voice desperate. "_Where are you?"_

Kan looked out the window again. Sai'wer was clutching his friend's hand as if he could never let go. "I don't know," Sai'wer answered.

"Oh, GOOD," Aedan said. "They're taking Action DGO5711."

"What the blazings…" Kan muttered.

"They're made of such pure WICKED genius," Terry explained to the bewildered Kan, "and they spend so much energy and WICKED time contemplating things only nerdy professors can understand, they can't see beyond their WICKED faces."

"Kien, Minir!" Aedan said. "Take Action W-I-C-K-E-D 207WICKED!"

Kien and Minir raced out of the hold as if they were running for their lives.

In the same moment, Adriaan had paused to inspect a mutilated starship, turning her face away from Kan's transport to view the broken hull from all angles. Even before her back was completely turned, Kien and Minir darted to the bottom of the ramp and dragged the cousins out of view. The young knight turned back around and continued toward the ship a microsecond later. Kien and Minir tumbled into the cockpit, holding Jahn Pal and Sai'wer by their ears.

"Mission WICKED complete," Minir said, looking with undisguised disgust at the "genius" boys, who were sprawling at his feet, slobbering all over his boots like playful nek pups. Minir turned up his nose and his face twitched as he backed away.

Na'thin nudged Aedan. "GOOD coming," he said. "WICKEDLY disappear?"

"Na'thin has a WICKED idea," Aedan said. "I say we WICKEDLY hide!"

"WICKED!" they all said, scattering to find refuge. Before five seconds had passed, every trace of the Wicked Club was quietly and effectively hidden.

Kan stood by the pilot seat, staring blankly at the holofiles suspended in the air above him. Suddenly the sound of a booted foot clanging against the durasteel ramp shattered the silence, and without thinking Kan instinctively reached out and pressed a key. The files shimmered in the air and slowly faded, concealing the last bit of evidence the intruders had failed to hide.

Suddenly, he felt something claw him from behind, and he impulsively twisted in the attacker's grasp to fight back. Instead he was violently yanked into a storage closet, one that he hadn't noticed before, for its door had been in flush with the wall.

"Kan, you can't just stand there and let them find you," Jordin hissed in his ear.

His mouth dropped open. "What are you doing here?!" he whispered furiously. "You were supposed to be looking for Zett!"

Her smile didn't waver. "I was supposed to look for _Zett_?" she asked. "I wasn't looking for_ him_, I was looking for _you._ Sorry. Zett is snoring away in a corner behind the broken starfighter. I was getting bored, listening to him snore; you know how it is, watching someone sleep. I told you, remember? Then I saw you chasing those weird kids ––– why do they scream "wicked" all the time? ––– anyway, I thought you might need help. I don't understand why those dumb boys were drooling all over the ramp; I think it had just been cleaned, too. They were very rude to mess it up. Where did they all go, anyway? Don't tell me they –––"

"Quiet!" Kan said. "I had everything under control. You'll just mess everything up."

"It looked like you were doing a great job," Jordin remarked sarcastically. "And don't bother talking back to me primarily because you'll lose the argument, secondly because I'm right and you're wrong. By the way, the Masters are right outside the door."

Before she even finished speaking, Kan heard the doors hiss open. He clapped a hand over her mouth and tensed, listening. He couldn't hear her silent stride, but a powerful wave of the Force hit him like a thunderbolt, warning him of Adriaan's arrival. He shrank as far back into the supply closet as he could go, hoping that she was too preoccupied to feel his presence.

_Why are you hiding?_ he suddenly felt silly, hiding from a Jedi that he knew and liked. He hadn't done anything bad to cause him to hide, after all. He had been trying to stop a bunch of insane kids from taking off in a ship, that was all. So why was he hiding?

_I want to go on that mission. _It was useless to deny it. Knowing why the Apprentices were forbidden to accompany their Masters on the mission only sharpened his hunger for action. A pang of guilt swept over him. He was hiding because he didn't want to be left behind, because he didn't want to listen to the bossy old Council. His life had been in jeopardy before. He should be allowed to stand by his Master and fight.

_That doesn't make it right._

He should go out and show himself. The deed he was about to commit would drag on him for the rest of his life if he decided to do it. And if he was caught in the act… Kan preferred not to think about that. There were stories of students getting expelled for disobeying or lying to the Council. Was it worth all the risk?

Suddenly, he heard the sound of several pairs of boots stomping up the ramp and into the cockpit, shattering his thoughts and leaving his question unanswered. He cautiously peeked out from behind the door of his hideout. Quickly he stuck his head back in, his eyes wide with horror.

_"Who?" _Jordin's eyes asked him silently.

"Tira-Auris, Nadma Okiwa, Jade Yil, Siri Tachi and Coleman Trebor," Kan breathed.

Jordin stifled a shriek at the mention of her Master. "Oh, no."

Master Siri Tachi was a slim human female dressed in a dark unisuit. Kan didn't know much about her, except for the fact that her Padawan, Ferus Olin, had left the Jedi Order a few years before, and she had never taken on another Apprentice since. He also knew that she was keenly in tune with the Living Force, and she could easily find Kan if she sensed he was aboard.

Nadma Okiwa, an Arkanian Jedi with a white hair and pale blue eyes, was the Master of an elite student called Kay Lee. Coleman Trebor, a tall, strong Vurk, carried a green lightsaber and had was renowned for his calm, diplomatic nature. As for Tira-Auris, she was nothing less than the meanest, grumpiest and nastiest Jedi in the entire Temple. As if that weren't enough, she had super acute hearing senses and could hear your heartbeat several meters away.

This wasn't good.

Luckily, the Jedi were all too busy getting ready to takeoff that they weren't listening to the Force, warning of the nine students hidden throughout the ship.

"Who wants to pilot this thing?" Adriaan asked.

"You go ahead." Kan heard Master Trebor speak up. "I think we all agree that you are the best pilot the Jedi Order has ever produced."

"No, _one_, not _the_ best," Adriaan said modestly.

Kan heard someone snort. "Nobody has bothered to give credit to _my_ skills as a pilot."

"Oh, get off your high seat, grumpy old Tira," Adriaan said cheerfully.

"You are the one putting on airs as a knight," Tira-Auris said huffily. "If I were the Council, I'd stick you back in your place, as a Padawan."

"But you are not a Council member," Adriaan said. "You are just a knight."

Jordin and Kan exchanged scandalized glances. They had never before heard Masters speak so rudely to each other. They had assumed that the Jedi were always peaceful and agreed with each other.

There was a tense silence. The quiet thudded in Kan's head louder than the sound of billions of waterfalls. Finally, it was broken by Adriaan, who murmured softly, "Forgive me, Master, it was unbecoming of me to act in this way. The mission cannot begin if we go at each other like battle dogs. I apologize."

Tira-Auris huffed, hardly sounding forgiving.

Apparently, Adriaan didn't notice, for Kan suddenly heard her stiffen, as if listening carefully.

"Something is out of place here," she said.

Kan felt the blood drain from his face. He looked at Jordin helplessly. Her face was ashen.

He heard boots thumping slowly toward him, and he involuntarily flinched. _I'm in for it now._

Then the comm system signaled.

The boots stopped in mid-stride. "What is it?" Adriaan asked abruptly.

"All groups set. Prepare your ship for takeoff and fly toward the designated coordinates," the comlink crackled. "May the Force be with you."

"You." Kan heard Adriaan cut off the transmission and head for the pilot seat. He stifled a sigh of relief and glanced at Jordin. She didn't speak, but her face plainly told him what she was thinking. _That was too close._

He felt the hum of the engine vibrate the durasteel floor beneath his feet as Adriaan did the preflight check. He heard the systems beep in confirmation that everything was running smoothly. Kan's stomach lurched as the ship pulled forward, accelerating and lifting off the ground as its pilot propelled it expertly into the space lane.

The ship left the atmosphere and shot out into the emptiness of space.

They were off.


	8. Padawans vs Massiffs

Chapter 8

"Okay, everyone," Kan whispered slowly. "Don't move. Just stay where you are…"

Jahn Pal picked up a good-sized rock and hurled it at the growling, wolf-like head. The stone hit it with stunning accuracy, bouncing off its nose with a _clunk_ and landing on its foot. The creature's face wrinkled in a pained, angry snarl.

"Happy doggy," Jahn Pal said. "Me sit still."

"GOOD job, Jahn Pal," Na'thin hissed.

The massive animal sprang for Aedan's unprotected neck.

_BAM!_

The creature lay on the ground, cloven in two. Aedan whirled his lightsaber menacingly. "Come out and fight,GOODS!"

Suddenly, several shadows materialized out of the gloom. The whole pack had been lying in wait, eager for fresh meat.

"Massiffs," Aedan commented, as if they were in a science class, and not surrounded by ferocious beasts ready to tear them into little pieces. "WICKED native species of Geonosis, GOOD if you anger one of their packs. They travel in groups, preying upon any stray GOODS. They're like wild Nek battle dogs, except massiffs are WICKEDER. I've been waiting for years to get my hands on one of these."

"Great," Jordin muttered.

The pack circled, baring their razor-like teeth wickedly. "This is going to be WICKED!" Kien said.

An especially nasty-looking massiff smacked its lips at Kan. Its evil, beady eyes glared balefully at him. Seeing his face reflected in its pupil, Kan imagined that he looked like easy, and tasty, prey.

"If you say so, Kien," Kan said.

The pack lunged forward.

"WICKED!" Aedan screamed, plunging headlong into the fray. The Wicked Club followed, echoing his battle cry and unsheathing their lightsabers as they leaped to cover him.

The massiff grinned at Kan as it circled him. Suddenly Kan withdrew his lightsaber and activated it, lighting up the dark canyon with its intense green light.

Kan sliced his weapon downward.

With a yelp of agony, his opponent crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The Force surged, warning him of a coming attack from behind. Kan whirled around just in time to cut an attacking massiff into smithereens. He ducked and swerved, taking out two more.

A gold and black figure tinged with a violet light flew over his head. Jordin landed neatly behind him and executed a quick undercut, killing another of their attackers. She spun around with a delicate grace that was all her own, slicing a massiff expertly in half. Without pausing she rolled sideways, dodging another and severing his head with a quick blow. Kan watched her back, reinforcing her moves and taking out any massiffs in his way. They were of one mind now, and each of them knew what the other would be doing next.

Aedan hardly needed anyone's help. As well as the Wicked club's leader, he was also a master in the Jedi arts, even though he was only eight years old. He double-front-flipped over the pack, twirling his lightsaber in an ever-moving arc, causing mass panic and destruction among his enemies. Landing behind one, he did a downward swing and whirled on his heel, taking out four more. Terry and Na'thin were ever at his side, doing all in their power to help. Kien and Minir had the torturing task of protecting the childish cousins from becoming the main course of the massiff's next meal. Even though he had faith in the the abilities of his group, Kan soon realized they were hopelessly outnumbered.

Suddenly, something pricked Kan's memory. What was it? _You do not lack ability, you lack control. You lack maturity. Gain these, and you will become a Jedi. _Who said that?

Ruru Xelan. His Master. He had been trying to lift Kan's spirits, to help him understand. Kan hadn't understood then. But now…

Kan looked around him, at the faces of his friends ––– yes, they were his friends, even though they were crazy. They were all brave, fearless…but untested, unsure of what the outcome would be. Inexperienced. _We lack maturity. What would a Master do in this situation? _

As if in answer to his thought, Kan spotted a large stone, jutting out over a ledge above him._ You lack experience…_

If he could get the stone to roll down, it would crush everyone below. But if they all got on to the ledge and distracted the massiffs while they pushed the rock down on them…

"Jordin," Kan said. "The ledge. Get on it."

"Why?"

"Try to keep the massiffs distracted."

Understanding dawned upon her face. Without another word, she ascended swiftly onto the ledge, using cracks and bumps on the sheer face of the rock to assist her.

Kan quickly turned his attention elsewhere. They didn't have much time. "WICKED MEN!" he shouted. "Get on the ledge! We can WICKEDLY push a WICKED rock on the GOODS!"

"WICKED plan, Kan," Aedan said, clambering up onto the rock. "You're beginning to sound just like a WICKED. Come, my WICKEDS."

The WICKED club quickly complied. Minir and Na'thin grabbed each cousin by the arm, and Kien, Terry and Kan surrounded them protectively, covering their retreat. Na'thin and Minir swiftly scaled the precipice, dragging Jahn Pal and Sai'wer with them. Kan signaled at Terry and Kien to leave. "Go!"

Terry and Kien nodded before taking off. Now Kan was left alone with the massiffs. The pack snarled angrily, cautiously circling him. They had learned to regard the Apprentices with fearful respect. They had expected fast-food. Instead they had come up against small but terrifying warriors with beams of light that blinded their night-seeing eyes and killed their brethren. No wonder they were furious. Obviously, they were going to avenge themselves by taking out Kan.

Suddenly, a hailstorm of sharp pebbles rained down upon both Kan and his attackers. As Kan threw his arms over his head in self-defense against the merciless attack, he heard Jordin's voice float over him. "Kan,where are you? You need to get up here fast. We're running out of ammunition."

"WICKED!" Kan heard Aedan scream.

"Coming!" Kan shouted. He sidestepped the open jaws of a massiff and grinned at the rest wickedly. "Hey, bantha-brains, puppy dogs, come and get me!" Kan taunted, doing a wild dance to avoid the furious pack. One of the creatures leaped for him, but Kan ducked, sending the massiff crashing into the canyon wall. The pack snarled.

"Kan, WICKEDLY come!" Aedan called. "GOODS are very hungry!"

"I know, I know, but watch this!" Kan stuck his tongue out at them. They stopped growling, confused. Then Kan did an old Jedi trick. he waved his hand, calling upon the Force. "Stay where you are, GOOD dogs," he said, backing away. The massiffs stared, stupefied. "GOOD dogs…"

He felt himself being grasped firmly under his arms and yanked upward. He flew up over the ledge and landed with an_ oof_. Below him, the Force mind trick broke. Fury unleashed, the pack surged forward, breaking away at the wall like waves upon a cliff side, howling angrily for the loss of their prey.

"WICKED job, Kan," Terry said. "Now what?"

"We can't stay up here, obviously," Jordin said. "They'll keep us here forever. We'll starve. I wouldn't like to starve. I wonder if –––"

"We won't starve," Kan said. "And we won't die. We're going to push this rock down on them. it will be an ultimate victory."

Jordin stared at the stone incredulously. "It looks big."

"Then we'd better get started," Kan said.

"WICKED," the club agreed.

* * * * * *

Half and hour later, the stone was still in place, and the massiffs were still loyally guarding the ledge, confident that they had captured their prey at last.

Kan kicked the rock in disgust. "it's no use," he said. "We aren't strong enough, and there isn't anything to use as a lever on this stinkin' rocky world."

"Of course, as usual, you are trying to do it the hard way," Jordin remarked drily. "Boys refuse to do anything the easy way. They always have to do it the hard way to show off."

"Easy way GOOD way," Na'thin muttered.

"This is the only way," Kan said.

She stamped her foot impatiently. "Boys are so dull," she snapped. "Especially you clod brains. What do we have that ordinary kids don't?"

"WICKEDNESS?" Terry asked.

"Food?" Kien suggested hopefully.

"We're cute?" Sai'wer said.

But Kan knew what she meant. he turned to Aedan. "We're Jedi. We have the Force. If we can use the Force on the rock –––"

"None of us are strong enough," Minir pointed out.

"Maybe not on our own," Jordin told him. "But put together…"

"…we can WICKEDLY do it!" Aedan finished.

All of their gazes turned toward the rock, determination alight in their faces. They looked at each other and nodded.

It came like a faint stirring at first, like a breeze gliding over the rocks. But then, as it strengthened, the Force grew more powerful. It became faster, stronger, till it was like a gale, fierce and swift, whistling in the narrow crevices in the canyon and beating itself upon the stone, renting its strength upon it.

The rock, the undefeated rock, didn't budge. It had resisted physical power, it would resist the power of the Force, too.

_I can't do it._

_ You can. I know who you are. I know what you can do. You can do it, Kan._

_ I can't do it alone. I need your help, Master._

_ You must do it without your Master. You must be ready to face what you must face alone. But their are friends surrounding you, to help you in your quest. You must work together. _We_ must work together. Something evil is out there. I can feel it. If we do not work together, it will carry us away, like leaves in the wind. _

_ You can do it. _

_ I believe in you._

Kan felt the ground shake. He heard a roaring in his ears. The faces swirled around him ––– Aedan, screaming his battle cry. Jahn Pal and Sai'wer, sobbing in terror. Minir, Kien, Na'thin and Terry, dancing around him. Jordin, shaking him…

"Kan, wake up, wake up, _come on_, wake up."

Kan opened his eyes, staring up into the hazy sky. "Massiffs evil," he said.

Jordin laughed. "Of course they are, or were, I mean. But maybe they still are, even though they're dead. Or maybe they weren't evil at all. Just hungry –––"

"WICKED!" Terry and Aedan shouted together.

"Cease GOOD prattle," Na'thin said. "We go to rescue."

Aedan smirked. "And who do we WICKEDLY rescue?"

The Wicked Club grinned at him. "GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD Obi-Wan!"

Kan leaped up. "The mission!" he cried. "I forgot! We have to hurry!" he came to a standstill at the edge. He stared down at the ground that had once been littered with the bodies of both dead and living monsters.

It was now filled up by the colossal stone they had moved. And the massiffs were gone!

"They croak," Terry said, gazing down at the dreary landscape. "All die. Many screams. Many moans and groans. Very bloody. All GOODLY croak," he ended sadly.

Sai'wer blinked. "Jahn Pal croak?" he asked, his tone desperate.

"No, silly GOOD," Aedan said. "Jahn Pal here. He's GOODLY holding your hand."

"His foot," Jahn Pal corrected, clutching his cousin's hand tighter.

"No," Sai'wer said. "You lie. I know you wrong. Jahn Pal croak. I saw. He scream big."

Aedan bristled. "Liars GOOD!"

"Jahn Pal didn't even go near the edge of the shelf," Jordin remarked. "And he didn't croak ––– die––– whatever you call it. Stop calling death 'croaking'. It's vulgar. But then, boys are vulgar. Why, once I –––"

"Quiet!" Minir said. "We shall WICKEDLY proceed to carry out our assignment before our adversaries make use of our procrastination."

Everyone stared at him in silence.

"In other words," Aedan translated. "We WICKEDLY GO!"

He gestured toward Kien and Minir. "Take the two idiots and make sure they WICKEDLY get down without croaking on you."

"Stop saying 'Croaking'!" Jordin yelled.

Aedan didn't turn. He looked sidelong at Terry, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Oh, Terry," he said loudly, "escort the walkie-talkie GOOD down. We don't want her tongue to croak GOODLY on us, do we? It would deprive us of all GOODLY noises, and we don't want that to happen, do we, Terry?"

"WICKED," Terry said, taking Jordin firmly by the arm and leading her away.

She pushed him away. "I can escort myself, space-brat!"

He shrugged, crossing his eyes at her. "I don't like touching GOODS, anyway."

Jordin opened her mouth to speak, but then decided not to. With a huff, she Force-leaped off the ledge to join the rest down below.

Kan, Terry and Aedan leaped swiftly down to the ground, Aedan and Terry somersaulting to the rocky floor and taking their place at the front of the group.

Suddenly, Aedan broke away, dashing headlong into a crack in the smooth canyon wall. Before anyone could move or speak, he had disappeared into the crevice. Except for the sound of rocks scuffling behind the rock, Aedan had effectively vanished into the air.

"Aedan?" Kan shouted, knocking on the wall. "What are you doing?"

There was a still silence, but Kan thought he heard a thin, muffled "wicked".

"He's being WICKED," Terry said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

No one offered any further explanation, for at that moment, as suddenly as he had disappeared, Aedan reappeared, lugging something that was dark, long, spiny, and obviously heavy, for he was panting with the effort of moving it. He deposited his booty at the feet of the group, who stared with mixed horror and astonishment.

A miniature massiff snarled and gnashed its teeth viciously at them. But while Terry, Na'thin and Kien leaned closer to observe the creature, fascinated at its sharp fangs and long, jagged claws, Kan, Jordin, Minir and the cousins backed away, terrified. "Aedan, dispose of that thing now," Kan whispered. "Do something, anything ––– just get rid of it.

Aedan's face turned black. "No."

"Aedan, that baby massiff can be nothing but a nuisance," Jordin said. "Don't you want to rescue your brother?"

Aedan folded his arms stubbornly. "WICKED help. He WICKED. I save him from GOOD parents. He obey WICKED king. He sniff out and rip up GOODS."

"He won't," Minir said. "They all GOOD. Kill it. Croak it. It'll be the GOOD of you. Make it croak."

For once, Kan had to agree with the hardhearted boy. The massiff was a ferocious wild beast. One bite from its jaws could break Aedan's neck.

"He WICKED, I WICKED, I spare him, I king, I keep," Aedan said. "I keep him on a chain. I train him. If he WICKED, I take him back home, because if he WICKED, he learn. I have WICKED room, I keep many WICKED animals there. They friends. But if he GOOD…" Aedan bared his teeth in a grimace. "…I eat him."

Jordin stared at the boy in speechless horror.

"He WICKED," Terry told them. "He tame everything. He WICKEDEFY every animal in the galaxy."

Kan was still doubtful. Like the WICKED club, the massiff was unpredictable. And they were running out of time. He couldn't stand here arguing there all day.

He turned away, defeated. "Fine. He stays."

"WICKED!" the others screamed.

"But don't blame me if he bites off your arm," Kan warned.

Aedan grinned. "Don't worry, I'm W-W-I-I-C-C-K-K-E-E-D-D!!"


	9. Taming the Wild Beast

Chapter 9

Terry lifted up a hand to shade his eyes against the harsh orange glare. He sighed, licking his parched lips with his dry tongue. An icy cold drink of juma juice sounded WICKED right now. Sadly, Terry was miles away from a local cantina. Geonosis didn't look like it had cantinas, or even juma juice. It didn't look WICKED at all. The awesome, towering pinnacles of rock that the Geonosians called home looked GOOD.

Terry turned around and beckoned for the others to catch up. Na'thin and Kien grinned cheerfully and stepped energetically up to him, while Minir grumpily herded the sleepy Jahn Pal and Sai'wer to stand beside them. Kan and Jordin strode purposely toward him. Terry looked over their shoulders and smirked.

Aedan was trudging along in the rear, roughly pulling on his liquid cable. Attached to the other end of the cable, the massiff dug its claws into the soil and stubbornly refused to move.

Terry shook his head. Nothing but GOOD could come out of this.

Aedan came up, panting hard. "He's ––– pretty ––– WICKED," he gasped. "I think it's –––time ––– to break him ––– in."

Terry saluted. "Righto, King WICKED," he said. "Then you can resume your task as the WICKED leader."

"Uh, guys," Kan began. "Shouldn't we be –––"

"Which method should I use?" Aedan asked Terry. "Fight-to-the-croaker, WICKED Competition, or who's GOOD-or-not?"

"Why don't you WICKEDLY try the WICKED primitive method," Terry suggested. "It is the most consistent in taming wild beasts. In other words, it is the WICKEDEST method out there, in my WICKED opinion."

"And I value your WICKED opinion," Aedan said. "We're going to do it the GOOD old-fashioned way WICKEDLY." He began to undo the liquid cable from around the massiff's neck.

"What are you doing?!" Kan shouted, lunging for the cable. "It'll kill us!"

Terry reached out and grabbed Kan by his tunic. Kan twisted around and ferociously fought to free himself, but Terry was too slippery and elusive for him. The rest of the Wicked club seemed to be on Kan's side, for they all backed away from the massiff, eyes wide with terror.

"Kill it, WICKED King," they begged. "Make it croak!"

Aedan was deaf to their pleas. Silently, he loosened the noose which bound his captive.

"NO! GOOD!" Minir shrieked, but his voice was drowned out by Aedan's war cry.

"W-W-I-I-C-C-K-K-E-E-D-D!!"

The massiff barreled into Aedan's stomach, sending him flying head over heels onto the enraged animal. His arms and legs quickly coiled around the massiff in a wrestler's grip, holding on for his life. The beast bucked savagely, but Aedan's grip didn't loosen.

"R-R-R-R-R-R-O-O-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R-R-R!!!"

Suddenly, to everyone's horror, Aedan relaxed his hold. He swung his arm up over the massiff's head, clamping his fingers around its large, hairy ear. Pulling it back, Aedan opened his mouth and bit the ear viciously.

The massiff stopped in its tracks, a look of shock on its face. Suddenly it lurched over and fell flat on its back, howling in pain.

Everyone stared, scandalized, first at the agonized massiff, then at Aedan, who sat up, smiling triumphantly. He reached out a hand carefully, gently stroking it on the head. "WICKED boy, WICKED boy," he said soothingly. "You mine now."

The poor animal stood up shakily, all the fight knocked out of him. It gazed with new respect and obvious affection at its conquerer. A dark stain of blood gushed from a gash in its ear, contributed by Aedan's sharp teeth.

"Come, unbloody and unwounded WICKED," Aedan commanded.

To everyone's surprise, the massiff swiftly obeyed, frisking about its master's feet and wagging its short, stubby tail as if it had never been a ferocious wild beast ready to tear them into little tiny pieces.

Aedan nodded with satisfaction. "Accurately WICKED as ever, Terry," he said. "Primitives had some pretty WICKED ideas back then."

"Wicked" emitted a short, happy bark.

Kan was still staring at the massiff, dumbfounded. "What happened?" he muttered.

"Aedan is an expert––– a WICKED expert–––– in animal training," Terry said. "He has done a lot of tediously WICKED research on wild beast taming practices. Our ancestors had an old method in taming large predators. They WICKEDLY mounted the GOOD beast, then bit its ear through. In WICKEDLY doing so, they showed the beast who was, in manner of speaking, the big, WICKED leader of the pack. Once they know that you are the leader, they are perfectly WICKED."

Kan gulped. Aedan was beginning to gain his respect. He had showed an incredible amount of daring and courage in taming the massiff. Kan figured that if he could train a dangerous beast, then he must be capable of more than Kan guessed.

"By the way," Terry said. "We are WICKEDLY back on the UNWICKEDS trail. If you WICKEDLY look ahead, you can see them."

It was true. As Kan squinted against the harsh glare toward the horizon, he could clearly discern a small moving cloud of dust, indicating where the Jedi went. Except for the puff of dust, the Jedi had concealed their trail well. He couldn't even see a footprint made by one of their heavy boots.

Aedan looked at the retreating cloud and spat disdainfully. "GOODS! They not know the power of the WICKEDS! We catch up!"

"Can you WICKEDLY tell where they're GOODLY heading?" Na'thin asked

Terry lifted shaded his eyes with his palm and gazed ahead. "There is a large, WICKED-looking needle-thingy sticking out of the ground," he reported. "They are GOODLY heading toward it."

"Hah hah! A WICKEDLY clear sign!" Aedan shouted. "To the WICKED needle-thingy! WICKED!"

He plunged ahead, waving his arms wildly. Wicked quickly leaped after him. Grinning, Terry and the Wicked Club ran behind, laughing and joking, eager for the mission to begin.

_It _is_ just beginning, _Kan realized with a pang. The massiff attack had only been an obstacle ––– fighting wild beasts wasn't part of their quest. Getting to the Separatist base, finding where they kept their prisoners, and possibly finding a way to get to Obi-Wan out of there; that was what they wished to accomplish. But it was only an _if _––– _if_ they got there in time,_ if _they got inside the base, and_ if _Obi-Wan was still alive, they just might have a chance.

Their chance seemed slim. As he gazed at his companions, Kan knew that even though they thought that Wicked people couldn't die, it was a sad disillusion. One of them might get lost, or captured…or one of them must lose their life. It might be the last time they would all be together.

But they had to keep going.


	10. This Party's Over

Chapter 10

Adriaan pressed herself against the hard contours of the wall, watching the entryway of the Geonosian building. The sentry guard, a spindly, evil-looking creature, was facing the opposite side of the gate, watching something going on inside. Obviously, the Jedi weren't expected. Why should they be expected? The Separatists didn't know about the signal Obi-Wan sent to the Senate.

Adriaan rolled her eyes at a young Jedi crouching next to her. Whatever was happening inside was certainly interesting to the Geonosians. The planet seemed absolutely abandoned; by the noise coming from inside the building, it sounded as if the entire planet had congregated under its roof. No one had taken any pains to post a proper sentry. Then again, they didn't know that an army of Jedi was lurking right outside their door.

She slipped through the gate easily. As she looked back at the guard, she saw that his eyes were half-closed and staring right over her shoulder. It was as if she were nothing more than a shadow.

She felt Siri Tachi beside her. "I heard they've all gathered here to witness an execution," Siri whispered. "The place is crowded. I can't believe so many have gathered just to watch an _execution_." She spat out the words. "Obi-Wan is one of the sentenced," she added in an undertone.

Adriaan nodded. "Cool."

Siri grinned. "Take your position. May the Force be with you."

She melted back into the shadows.

Adriaan stood underneath a small arched doorway, gazing into the interior of the building.

Soon she realized that it wasn't exactly a building ––– it was circular, and open to the sky, like an arena. It _was_ an arena; tiered seats to hold the spectators, and in the center, at ground level, was a large flat space designed for entertainment. The seats were filled to bursting with Geonosians, all jostling each other to get a view of…what?

In the center of the arena there were three pillars. Looking closer, Adriaan could distinguish tiny, helpless figures outlined against each post. The one on the right, she decided, must be Obi-Wan. She recognized his stiff, calm posture even from a distance. The other two she couldn't place. Except…that one in the middle ––– she'd seen him before. The arrogant way he stood, that graceful stance. Who was it?

Then she remembered. It was Obi-Wan's Apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. That would mean that the small white figure on the left was the senator Anakin had been assigned to protect, the one who was being targeted by the Separatists. Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. What were they doing here?

The young Jedi Knight frowned. She and Anakin were around the same age; they were trained as Apprentices at the same time. Even though he was older and definitely more talented, Adriaan had completed her training first. They had never been on good terms ––– he was always putting on airs as the high-and-mighty Chosen One. Adriaan had never been impressed with him, which made him dislike her from the very beginning. But there was a deeper reason for their rivalry. Anakin had always been at odds with her former friend, Darc Chun-be. Anakin had hated him because Darc had displayed talent and skill nearly equal to the Chosen One's. In fact, before Anakin had been found, the Council had wondered whether the Chosen One was _Darc._ Anakin had been jealous, so Adriaan hadn't been surprised to find out that Anakin had been responsible for making Darc quit…

_Don't think of that now._

She had made it a rule never to think of Darc Chun-be or anything associated with him in her past. It only made her angry. Anger made her lose her focus. And losing her focus meant…

She wrenched herself from her thoughts to turn her attention to the official's block, a reserved seat high above the roiling crowd. Several figures had appeared and were assembling in the block. She immediately recognized the wrinkled, crested brown head of the Archduke of Geonosis. Peeking over his shoulder, and wringing his hands anxiously was a red-eyed Neimodian, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Beside the Archduke stood a pale figure with small, cold eyes and silvery-gray hair. Though he was far off, Adriaan still felt the heavy weight of the dark side of the Force emanating from him.

She drew a sharp intake of breath. It was the leader of the Separatist formation –––Count Dooku!

_But if that is Count Dooku…_Where was the connection to the Force coming from? Dooku was just a belittled politician that was struggling for power ––– or was he? Adriaan had heard that he had once been an achieved Jedi Master at the Temple. For some unknown reason, he suddenly left and disappeared, only to reappear a few years later as a leading member of the pro-separatist faction. His Jedi training explained the Force connection. Or did it?

_The warning I'm getting is too powerful to be just that. Only a Sith can have that big of a connection to the dark side. _Was Dooku a Sith Lord?

Just then two more figures appeared at Dooku's side. Adriaan raised an eyebrow at them. One was very tall, and carried a Mandalorian battle helmet, suggesting that he was a mercenary or a bounty hunter of some sort. The other was just a small boy, whose flat dark eyes and Mandalorian military suit bore a similar likeness to the bounty hunter. Perhaps the boy was an Apprentice to the Mandalorian, or maybe he was his son. But that still didn't explain why they were here.

Adriaan squinted. It was hard to tell from where she was standing, but she could have sworn that she recognized that mercenary. Perhaps it was the armor ––– after all, she had clashed with Mandalorian warriors in the past ––– but it wasn't just the trademark Mando T-masked helmet that made her feel as if she'd seen this man before. She knew his face, she had known him a few years ago, she knew it.

Then she remembered. Jango Fett. The Mandalorian bounty hunter that had worked with her on Goba Shag, back when she had been a Padawan. They had made a formidable team, but their differing moral views had made it impossible to develop a lasting friendship. Still, Adriaan had genuinely liked and respected her temporary partner, and still thought well of him, even though it was quite obvious he was now working for the opposing side.

Adriaan saw that the boy was leaning forward eagerly on the balcony, trying to see what was going on below. She frowned. Children didn't belong in execution arenas, even if they were mercenaries, like this one. It wasn't right to expose them to such things. In her opinion, executions should be conducted in private, and not used as a public entertainment for the crowd. Jango knew better than to expose this boy to such base violence. Her brow furrowed in disapproval, but then she had forgotten that Fett had a much different opinion about the proper education of children.

The Archduke spoke a few words in the buzzing, clacking tongue of the Geonosians. A wild cheer rose from the crowd as three barred gates began to open in the arena. Adriaan guessed that the execution had begun.

At that moment, three huge beasts were admitted into the arena. Adriaan whistled under her breath. The animals were all carnivorous, obviously, and they looked hungry. And they were especially grotesque and terrifying. A quadruped with a tri-horned head was directed toward the post that Anakin was chained to. It was a Reek, a wild animal that liked to gore its prey with its lethal head.

A catlike creature headed for Senator Amidala. Adriaan recognized the Nexu, a savage beast with razor-sharp teeth and claws, that hailed from the jungles of Cholgana. But even the Reek and the Nexu seemed harmless compared to the last creature; a native of the planet of Vendaxa, the Acklay. Complete with nasty teeth, claws, and pincers on each of its six legs.

Needless to say, Adriaan was very glad that she wasn't down there.

Senator Amidala had somehow managed to shimmy up her post. Now she perched cautiously at the top, frantically trying to pick the lock on her handcuffs with what looked like a hairpin. The Nexu sprang for the pillar, its powerful leap taking it halfway up to the top. It dug its claws into the stone, trying to clamber up the last few meters. Amidala suddenly lifted her chain with her free hand and lashed it mercilessly like a whip across its face, which was just an alarming couple of inches from her. The beast snarled and angrily raked its claws across her back, ripping her white uni-suit and exposing her skin. Blood trickled down her back as the Nexu leaped safely down to the ground before she could return a hit. The crowd went wild at the sight of blood.

Meanwhile, a Geonosian guard astride an orray had prodded the Reek into a running gallop, fueled with rage, heading straight for Anakin. When the maddened beast was just meters away from him, the Padawan moved. Flipping upward, he easily cleared the deadly horns and landed neatly on its back, just as it crashed into the pillar, ripping Anakin's chain from the post. Adriaan watched with approval as he used the chain as reins to guide the creature around the arena, effectively mastering his predator.

_Good job, Anakin._

The Acklay had knocked over Obi-Wan's pillar and had shattered the chain into pieces, leaving Obi-Wan fettered with just the stun-cuffs. A Geonosian guard, pike lowered, urged his steed into a lumbering gallop, charging straight for the Jedi. Obi-Wan quickly plucked the weapon from the Geonosian's grasp, sending the guard flying head over heels and landing underneath the feet of the Acklay. The Acklay's pincers contacted with the unfortunate Geo with a resounding crunch. The spectators cheered again; obviously they didn't care what kind of blood was shed, they just cared for the entertainment.

Obi-Wan grabbed the electro-pike from the dead guard and used it as a spear to throw at his attacker. Adriaan watched with dismay as the Acklay calmly plucked the shaft from its side and snapped it in half with one blow from its mighty jaws.

Obi-Wan got the message. He turned and ran.

By now, Anakin had gained complete control over his would-be executioner. The Reek pranced around the ring, gathering up speed. Suddenly Anakin swerved his charge and headed for the Nexu. Horns lowered, and running at full speed, it took only one hit from the Reek to kill the astonished Nexu. Amidala leaped down from her perch and landed on the Reek, behind Anakin. Obi-Wan clambered on with them, glad to get away from the Acklay temporarily, at least.

Suddenly several droidekas wheeled out and surrounded the prisoners. Apparently, Count Dooku wasn't enjoying the execution as much as Adriaan was. Perhaps the Trade Federation's Viceroy was getting impatient; he had an old grudge against Padmé, the Senator, for foiling his plot to take over her planet about ten years ago. No doubt Dooku had bribed the Viceroy with Amidala's assassination to gain the greedy Neimodian's loyalty.

The droidekas activated their dual laser cannons and pointed them at the captives. Adriaan held her breath. Which signal would come first––– Windu's or the Count's?

Then she saw Mace Windu up on the balcony with the Separatists. His lightsaber was activated. And it was being held across the bounty hunter's neck.

"This party's over," Mace said.

Adriaan grinned and withdrew her lightsaber. An icy-blue shaft of light buzzed to life in her hand, humming and vibrating as if it had a life of its own. She twirled on her heel, holding her weapon in an offensive pose. As she did, she watched as hundreds of blue, green and purple lights flashed all over the arena as the two hundred Jedi responded to the signal.

But then her grin disappeared when she heard a sound much-dreaded to her ear.

"WICKED!"


	11. The Padawans Join the Fight

Chapter 11

Kan didn't remember exactly what happened, but suddenly, he was there. As soon as he saw the Jedi activating their lightsabers, he had activated his own unconsciously, responding to some secret instinct to join his fellow warriors, to fight back to back with them in the fray. The Geonosians had scattered in the confusion to grab their weapons, and now they were rising up in one great, buzzing cloud. For some reason it reminded him of the time when his Master had taken him for a tramp through the sunlit forests of Ünlé, a planet in the Syleeto system. Kan had wandered off on his own and had accidently tripped over a Ziizzi hornet nest. The angry insects had immediately flown up out of their nest and into his unprotected face, with their quadruple-forked stingers raised for attack…

Kan shook his head. This was different. Instead of painful but altogether harmless hornets armed with stingers, these creatures wielded powerful, high-tech blasters.

He winced. It wasn't the best thing to think of before a battle.

Aedan could contain himself no longer. With a triumphant shriek, he grabbed Kan by the collar of his tunic and leaped from their hiding place on the top level of the arena to the the execution ring below, which was swiftly filling with armed Geonosians.

Their feet made contact with the packed dirt floor. Aedan did a two-hand swing, decapitating two Geonosians. Kan did a quick back-stab and eliminated one more just as Terry, Jordin, Naathan, Kien, Minir and the cousins landed beside him. He caught a fleeting vision of Obi-Wan and his Padawan leaping off their steed as lightsabers were thrown to them. Kan heard rather than saw the arena gates open to admit the Confederacy's reinforcements ––– mass produced battle droids. The enemy began peppering the Jedi with blasterfire.

The battle had begun.

A droideka discharged a barrage of deadly blasts, sweeping Kan off his feet and into the dirt. Aedan leaped over him, deflecting the fire back, which absorbed harmlessly into the droids defensive shields. But Aedan knew their weakness; diving to the ground, he did an upward swing at his attacker, disabling its defensive system. Rolling to his feet, he chopped through the droid. It exploded, scattering flaming bits of debris all over him. Kan's nose wrinkled as the smell of burning cloth and hair drifted toward him.

Terry and Na'thin acted as one team, mowing down the infinite line of droids in relays. Kien and Minir could be heard from the opposite side of the ring, attacking the enemy's flank. Jahn Pal and Sai'wer finally seemed to come out of their brain fog, and they were displaying extraordinary skill for ones so young, though they relied more on strength than cunning.

Jordin was somewhere near him ––– he could feel her presence beside him, swinging her saber in an ever-moving circle. Her passing was scarcely more than a breeze, so light and graceful were her movements. A long line of fallen droids and natives alike marked her swift passing.

His back pressed against the solid form of a pillar. He had fought to the center of the arena. He looked around, searching for the fearless, powerful figure that was his Master. His battle mind became out of focus. That was why he never noticed the laser cannon aimed straight at him…

_BAM!_

He felt himself rise into the sky as the impact of the turbo-laser hit the post, creating a huge pocket of air that yanked him away from the blast. He felt a scream rising up from his stomach, but he couldn't open his mouth to let it out. It was strange; he felt calm, ready. Just waiting for death to come. He wasn't scared of what was to come. Maybe death wasn't so bad, after all. Maybe death felt just like this…

A body slammed into him, knocking him away from a huge flying chunk of stone just about to smash into him. He landed on his back, coughing up the dust he had swallowed. The deadly missile shattered just millimeters away from him. He didn't see it ––– he stared up at the sky, just staring…

"Are you GOOD?" Aedan stood over him, hissing in his ear. "Do you want to croak? The GOOD man saved your sorry GOOD life, so _use _it, you idiot!"

The rest of the broken pillar came crashing down towards them. With a cry, Aedan yanked him out of the way. A dust cloud arose, yet Kan could still see the mangled forms of the Jedi who had been caught underneath. A small, brown hand was stretched out across a chunk of rock, as if beckoning to him…

He looked away.

Jordin stood there, a look of absolute horror etched on her face. "I saw it," she said. "I saw him ––– the Jedi Knight knocked you out of the way, out the blast, and he just died. He's dead. He was fine, he was healthy, and now he's…"

She crouched down to the ground, her body shaking as tears slid down her face and fell into the red dirt, staining it the color of blood. "He's dead," she screamed. "Dead!"

Kan stood still, realization of what had happened absorbing into his brain. The ugly thought in his mind blinded him, and he turned away to shut out the sound of Jordin's crying. He suddenly felt a stab of pity for the young girl when he remembered what she had said to him one day, only a few days ago. Was it really only that long ago? It seemed years.

_I wonder why they kill people. What is it like to die?_


	12. The Reek!

Chapter 12

His thoughts were suddenly shattered by the sound of the rumbling wheels of an execution cart thundering in his ears. He whirled around, expecting to see an evil-looking native of Geonosis perched in the vehicle with electro-pike lowered and a murderous glint in its beady eyes. Instead, his eyes widened with surprise as they beheld a slim, graceful figure, so unlike the gnarly Geos, at the reins.

Adriaan ell Talaan.

She had sensed his trouble, and had come racing at top speed halfway across the battlefield, using her lightsaber like a spear, throwing it with lightning accuracy into the control panels of the new, updated version of the common droids of the Trade Federation. Unlike the spindly, almost fragile-looking originals, the super droids had taller, more compact bodies with a much lower control panel, almost undistinguishable from the rest of the body. It came straight out of the factory complete with enhanced firepower wired into their forearms.

The chariot skidded to a stop before him, and even before he had a chance to react, Adriaan had already scooped up Jordin and had placed her gently in the cart.

"Get in!" she shouted at them, swinging onto the back of the orray that pulled the vehicle.

But Aedan wasn't one to be bossed around. "No, GOOD!" he yelled.

Terry knocked a droid down with a simple swing. "We're too WICKED to get bossed around by people like you!"

"You're just a GOOD!" Na'thin stuck his tongue out at her as he chopped a super battle droid's control panel into scrap metal.

Adriaan didn't say anything more. Swiftly she swung down off the orray. She strode over to the group and grabbed Terry and Na'thin by the collars of their tunics. Without pausing first to look behind her, she threw them screaming headfirst into the chariot.

"You're next, Aedan," she said, heading for him.

Aedan had that silly grin on again. Adriaan came to a standstill and whirled around only to see Terry make a grotesque face at her and slap the reins of the cart. The chariot surged forward as the boy urged the orray into a running gallop.

"A-A-A-E-E-E-D-D-D-A-A-A-N-N-N!!!" Adriaan yelled.

Aedan danced off nonchalantly, knocking several Geonosians over as he skipped away.

Adriaan suddenly turned and hacked a Geonosian in half, just before it could pull the trigger to fire at Kan. "Get out!" she shouted, decapitating another. "Arenas aren't for kids!"

"Kid yourself!" Kan yelled back, slightly annoyed that he had let a Geonosian come that close to shooting him, and right in front of Adriaan, too. She probably thought that he wasn't capable of handling all the excitement of the battle. Well, he would show her. He was more than capable of handling it.

He felt a puff of hot air on his shoulder. He leaped aside, expecting Aedan or one of his cohorts to pop up. But they didn't. Instead he came face to face to something far more terrifying.

The Reek!


	13. In the Face of Death

Chapter 13

Kan ran around the perimeter of the arena, trying to get away. He didn't dare to look back, but he knew that the Reek was close behind.

Droids and Geonosians alike scattered to make way for his approach, though they were not fleeing from _him_. It was the thing chasing him, the beast behind him that they feared.

A crimson-tinted mist clouded his vision, and he wondered dully whether it was tears stained with the red dust of the planet or his own blood. Or someone else's blood. He didn't really want to know. All he knew was that he _must_ get away from the terror lurking behind his back, tracing the light path of his footprints in the dirt.

"Kan, help!"

Was that his imagination?

"Kan! The Acklay is chasing me!"

The red fog cleared from his eyes. An execution cart was over-turned, and Jordin was in its shadow, crouching fearfully. Over her the Acklay stood, gloating over his prey, saliva dripping from its jaws onto a pincer that was opening and closing, as if already, it held her in its crushing grasp.

Kan saw all this in the flash of a moment, yet it was enough. It had seemed like years that he had just stood there, eyes transfixed on that one pincer, opening and closing. Open. Close. Open. Close.

Open.

Close.

Then Kan moved.

His mind seemed blank, but his heart, his body knew what he wanted to do. He felt himself pound down the last few meters to the savage predator. His lighsaber clattered out of his hand as he ran, but he felt no need for it. He had his hands and his feet and one hard head, and that enough would be sufficient to beat up this bully ––– yes, it was a bully! It picked on things that were small, and young, and defenseless. It could not fight a fully armed warrior. Or an enraged Kan.

He flailed out with his fists, striking as much of the Acklay as he could reach. He was so blinded by anger, that he cared not for what he hit. Sometimes he would aim a punch…only to strike vainly at the air. This only angered him even more, and he doubled the strength of his fists. He hated this creature ––– yes, he hated it! It was against the Jedi code to hate, but Kan didn't care. He wanted to feel the pleasure of killing the beast with his own bare hands. And wouldn't that be just a little bit impressive, to defeat this massive creature weaponless?

It lifted up on its hind legs to strike, but suddenly seemed to change its mind. Perhaps it needed to think it all through before trying to pick a fight with this strange, small, yet terrifying two-legged being that stood defiantly in its way. Maybe it thought that the whole effort of fighting a battle wasn't worth two tiny mouthfuls.

The Acklay crawled off to find easier prey.

The black hatred of the Acklay vanished from Kan, as suddenly as the beast had beat its hasty but nonetheless dignified retreat. Now he stared guiltily at his surroundings, realizing what he had done. The Acklay had been attacking Jordin, yes, so it had been necessary to defend her. But he shouldn't have let his emotions enter the conflict. He had allowed hatred to fuel his attacks. Only the Sith relied on their passions for their strength.

_Black holes and quasars,_ Kan thought, _I am acting like a villain! _

But by acting like the enemy, had he _become_ the enemy? He was still fighting for the Jedi, and hadn't he defeated the Acklay by using anger? He didn't automatically become a Sith by using hatred as an energy, did he?

_You might start by using it for good, but it can twist your actions so that eventually you will betray those that you love and think that you did right in doing so._

He sighed. What had happened to him? This was not the Kan that he knew. He had always been the calm, passive Apprentice. He had been an average student. He hadn't questioned the rules of the Jedi. But now…

By disobeying one command, his life and personality had changed for ––– good or evil?

The tide of the battle seemed to be turning the advantage of the Separatists. The Jedi had had the element of surprise, but it was not enough to hold sway over the endless ranks of droids for long. Already, the Jedi were beginning to lose ground. If the droids could herd them all into a tightly clustered group in the center of the arena, which they certainly were capable of, and surround them, which was inevitable, it would be an ultimate massacre of Jedi.

He caught a glimpse of the bounty hunter he had seen on the pavilion with Dooku; he was among the hordes of Separatists, yet fighting alone, using his jet pack to blast him to different skirmishes spread throughout the arena. His Westar 34 blasters reflected the cruel blood-red rays of the Geonosian sun as he hefted his weapons, took careful aim, and fired a barrage of deadly blasts toward the cornered Jedi. He did it with such such cold precision and indifference to the lives he was taking that it made Kan lower his lightsaber and come to a standstill, his eyes seeing nothing but the silver and blue Mandalorian warrior–––jumping here, firing his Westars, flicking the switch on his jetpack, brushing so close to Kan that he could have reached out and cut the hunter down with a single flick of the wrist. But he was so caught up with watching the bounty hunter that he missed his chance.

The killer ducked as a Jedi came up behind him and swung his lightsaber in a deadly arc toward the bounty hunter's neck. He dropped to the ground and rolled to face his attacker. He fired. The Jedi screamed and fell, blood pouring from his throat. The hunter stepped over the body and fired at another Jedi. Kan's blood ran cold as he heard the impact of the blasts as they ripped through the Jedi's body. The Jedi let out a wordless cry as he, too, slumped to the bloodied ground in defeat.

Kan closed his eyes. These were people that he knew, that he had seen, bustling past him in the Temple halls, some greeting him, some nodding their heads in recognition, even some embracing him after returning from a long trip to some distant corner of the galaxy. Jedi Masters that had talked to him, trained him, helped him through his difficulties. Some that had reprimanded him. Forgiven him for interrupting their meditations or for leaving his muddy boots in the middle of the hall. They had each their own personality, their own facial expression, their own special style of fighting, their own special greeting. Their own smile. Their own laugh…

And now they were being destroyed. As each blast hit its target, one more Jedi, one more ally, one more person was blotted out form the face of the galaxy forever, never to return, never to brighten the galaxy with their smiles again.

Kan sighed and opened his eyes, retreating from the thoughts that crouched in the darkest recesses of his mind, always there but yet always lurking somewhere in the shadows of his other thoughts. He rarely ventured into that part of his mind ––– he did not like to. He preferred to think of brighter things, of the present moment, of what could be seen, of what lay beyond the horizon. All the bad thoughts he placed in the back, behind the others, so that he would not have to see them. So that he would not have to admit to himself that deep down in his heart, cowardice and terror lurked.

Suddenly a super battle droid fired a volley at him with its wrist rockets. Kan's attention came back to the present moment as his lifted his emerald-green blade and deflected the fire back, his arms nearly shattering from the impact as his lightsaber contacted with the blasts. The fire bounced from his blade with a sharp _ping_ and blasted into his attacker and two other droids close by, reducing them to scrap metal. Kan grinned through his dirt-streaked face as he turned and sent three more crashing into the wall with the aid of the Force.

A pretty young woman in a white jumpsuit took careful aim with a droid blaster and fired, sending a droid flying into another as she hit her target. Kan watched, impressed. He recognized her for one of the prisoners sentenced to execution. Beside her, a tall, broad-shouldered youth with a handsome face hovered, his green lightsaber held at a defensive angle, as if protecting the woman. His blonde Padawan braid went flying as he double-flipped and decapitated several Geonosians. Without pausing for breath, he rolled to the side and cut down the legs of a battle droid. Using the momentum to leap forward, he slid on his back and quickly deactivated the shields of a droideka, dispatching it easily a few seconds later with a slow, almost casual swing of his lightsaber. Suddenly he rolled to his knees and threw his weapon at a group of droids beginning to surround him. The lightsaber twirled through the air, slicing through their control panels with stunning accuracy. The Apprentice leaped to his feet and held out a hand, and the weapon returned, only to whirl in a backward sweep to take down two more.

Kan's mouth hung agape. Now he knew who the boy was. The only Apprentice who could fight like that was Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, Apprentice of the great Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. And the girl he was protecting–––could that be the brilliant senator of Naboo, the leader in the antiwar faction? She was being hunted down. What had Ruru said her name was? Padmé Amidala. Anakin must have been the Jedi assigned to the task of protecting her. What were they doing here?

He had no time to wonder, for suddenly a Geonosian flew over his head and fired at him. Kan turned and gently batted the fire back. The creature shrieked and crumpled to the ground.

Kan felt his chest swell with pride. Why shouldn't he feel pride? He had a right to be proud. He had proven himself worthy of the task the Council had thought too trying for him. Zett would be impressed. Jordin would be impressed. The whole _Temple_ would be impressed. _That's Kan Enik,_ he could hear them whisper,_ Apprentice of Ruru Xelan. He fought in the battle of Geonosis. He is a war hero, an Apprentice worthy of respect._

Worthy of respect. He deserved respect. He had always been the one with the least amount of talent, the least promise, the one who studied hard yet still barely passed the tests. He had had friends, but no admirers. No one who wanted to be like him. No one who wanted to be in his place.

Not anymore.

Suddenly he felt a puff of hot air on his neck. _Another Geo,_ he thought. He turned around slowly, confident of who would be the victor.

His heart froze. Less than two meters away stood the bounty hunter in Mandalorian suit. The T-shaped eye slits on the silver mask stared coldly at him. Feet shod in fire-resistant boots stood far apart to give him balance. His Westar blasters were raised, one in each gloved hand.

And the barrels were aiming straight for Kan's heart.


	14. Jango Fires

Chapter 14

"W-W-W-W-I-I-I-I-C-C-C-C-K-K-K-K-E-E-E-E-D-D-D-D!!!!"

Aedan leaped off the cart just as it exploded into a ball of fire. He laughed joyfully as a wave of hot, smoky air hit him and sent him even higher; he didn't care about the smell. Or the cart. Or that he might break his body in a thousand pieces if he landed wrong. Or if he turned over to land headfirst on top of Count Cuckoo's ––– AKA Dooku's ––– air-filled skull and crack the idiot's head open. He would actually like that. A bit. Anyway, none of that would happen, because he was WICKED. He knew what he was doing. He smirked gleefully as he landed–––right where he wanted ––– on top of the spider droid that had caused his vehicle to implode and demolished it.

A dark-haired woman in white popped from behind an overturned tank and peppered the Geonosians with blasterfire. Aedan came to a standstill to watch her. That girl kept on appearing out of nowhere, it seemed. This hadn't been the first time he'd seen her in the midst of a pack of Separatist GOODS, being blasted from all directions yet never getting hit, all the while taking them down like any well-seasoned WICKED.

He scratched his head, absentmindedly watching tiny flakes of dandruff float onto his freckle-spotted nose. Yes, he's definitely seen her several times before. The first time was when she had whipped that GOOD animal into dog meat. Then he had seen her destroy so many droids and those stupid excuses for flying warriors that he had lost count. She must be WICKED, but he couldn't figure out how she could be. After all, she was a girl, and a senator. They were both on the GOOD list. Some girls were an exception if they weren't terribly, disgustingly girly, and if Aedan judged completely by looks, he would definitely conclude that she was too feminine to be WICKED. Yet she hadn't croaked yet, and GOODS always croaked. It was confusing.

_Maybe I'm all wrong about the WICKED and GOOD thing, _he thought, _all those Seps are GOOD, yet some of them have been alive for years. And that cowardly GOOD Sith has been living for a decade or so. Maybe WICKED people aren't so WICKED._

"NO! G-G-G-G-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-D-D-D-D!!!!" Aedan screamed and leaped for an unsuspecting droid, chopping off all its limbs and slicing its control panel into shreds. He was WICKED. WICKEDS weren't GOOD. GOODS existed everywhere, and they didn't always die immediately. Most died _eventually._ In a time like this, as usual, Aedan WICKEDLY knew what to do. He would test her, to see whether she was WICKED, or just lucky, another form of GOODNESS in Aedan's opinion. And his opinion had considerable weight among WICKED people. Lucky people were GOODS that hadn't croaked yet. WICKED people had no need of luck.

Aedan waited patiently ––– for once ––– until she swiveled and pointed her blaster at another group. He waited until he saw her index finger's muscle tighten. He leaped right in her path just as she pulled the trigger and released the blasterfire.

"No!" Padmé shouted, but it was too late for her to do anything, so she just sat there.

Aedan calmly stood his ground, feeling the fire streak past him, singing his skin and ruffling his hair as it passed. Then he strolled toward the Senator, miraculously, WICKEDLY, untouched.

Padmé opened her mouth to say something, most likely a lecture, but Aedan never gave her a chance. He knew what she was going to say. It would only bore him. He had known he wouldn't get hit, not only because he was WICKED, but because he knew that if he stood in front of a blaster a certain way, just a fraction off from the center, it wouldn't hit him. Everyone knew that blasters weren't entirely accurate, and even a steady hand could fire off-center.

He leaned down to her ear. "WICKED!" he yelled. Then he leaped over her head and ran off to find another WICKEDLY gigantic skirmish.

Two droidekas rolled for him. Aedan waited until they came to a stop and began to unfold. A microsecond before they activated their shields, he rolled between them and swung his lightsaber in a figure eight. He got up, brushed off his tunic, stomped on the smoking ruins of the droidekas, then flipped over to a group of thickly clustered Geonosians.

GOOD. Aedan chuckled even as he swung his lightsaber in an ever-moving arc. He had been stupid even to think of that GOOD senator as a WICKED like himself. The battle must have been distracting him. She was girly, and a lucky GOOD. Besides, she had Anakin Skywalker to protect her.

He cut down another insect. _Hm, _he thought, _this group wasn't as big as I thought._

There was a huge formation of droids ahead. Aedan thought he could hear the screams of his friends Terry and Na'thin somewhere inside the wall of marching machinery. It sounded like they were having WICKED fun.

Smirking, Aedan sliced his way through to join them.

* * * * *

Kan stood rooted to the spot, not even daring to breath. The bounty hunter, too, stood very still, as if frozen. _Any moment now, _Kan thought, _any moment now until he fires._ He heard a faint whisper inside him. _And the Reek is coming. _

_ I can feel him._

He stared at the blasters, which glared balefully at him as they pointed in a straight line right for his chest, right down to the center of his heart. Soon he would fire. They would hit Kan; he did not doubt the hunter's accuracy with a blaster. It would be very quick; he would only feel a swift stab of pain as the blasts penetrated the thin layer of nerves, and after that it would be over. His Master had told him that deep wounds did not hurt very much; there were not as many nerve cells after the layer had been penetrated.

_I'm not even afraid, _he realized, _but why should I? It will soon be over. _

He closed his eyes. _But I don't want to die. I don't want to see the last moment. Let me be a Jedi to the last. Let me not be afraid._

_ The Force will be with you._

_ Always._

_ The Force. _The Force was always with him. It would be with him, even after the end. He called upon, called upon it to come upon him in a strength he had never known before, to be with him, to aid him.

It obeyed. It began as a faint breeze, like water trickling through the rock. Then it swelled, grew around him, enveloping him like a soft, transparent, delicate yet strong bubble, protecting him from the next moment. The Living Force grew even stronger, and soon he could hear everything around him ––– the screams, the tremors in the ground as Jedi leaped and fell, the hum of wings as the Geonosians took flight, the ping of blasterfire. The faint trickle of blood soaking into the dirt. Time began to slow, then to stop, then began to unravel like the weaving on a tapestry, to unwind like a spool of thread. The Force had put a stop to time. But could he keep it stopped forever, so the next moment, the moment when the blasters were fired, the moment he died, would never come?

Then Ruru was there. He was standing in front of Kan, filling that horrible, empty space between Kan and the blasters with his large, powerful body. It made Kan feel taller, bolder, more than he was. His Master seemed to chase away his fears that had left him frozen on the spot, so that he was able to breathe freely again. He let go of the Force, releasing the bubble of time so that it ran again as it had before. His Master slightly turned and tilted his head toward his Apprentice, smiling encouragingly. Kan smiled back, knowing that his Master would not let Kan succumb to the terrible fate that awaited him.

Ruru turned to the bounty hunter. "Leave the boy alone."

His soft voice that nevertheless spoke with strength and command filled the silence. The bounty hunter did not respond to him, but the blank stare of the mask seemed to look at them with a hint of malice.

"_Jango Fett! _Don't shoot!"

He caught a fleeting vision of Adriaan running at top speed, arms upraised and stretched toward the mercenary as if pleading with him. She sidestepped a rolling destroyer droid, cutting it to pieces. A super battle droid fired a barrage of blasts at her, nicking her in the shoulder and causing blood to run forth. But she didn't flinch. She kept running.

Kan's gaze swerved toward his Master. _Adriaan, I don't need you,_ he called silently to her, _My Master is here. He will take care of me. The bounty hunter ––– Jango Fett? ––– does not stand a chance against Ruru…_

Jango Fett, the bounty hunter, swiveled his Westar at Ruru and fired.


	15. We Will Not Surrender

Chapter 15

"NO!"

It was over. Ruru didn't even have a chance to get out his lightsaber. The blasts that had been meant for Kan went into his Master instead. His Master, who had loved Kan. His Master, who had done nothing wrong, unlike Kan. Kan had disobeyed a direct order from the Council, a violation that could be met with being expelled from the Order. His Master, who hadn't been afraid. His Master, who had given up his life to save Kan, who was not worthy of such a gift.

"Kan."

He opened his eyes, blinking into a dull gray fog clouding his eyes. Through the mist, he thought he could discern a vision of Ruru, looking at him. Looking at the Apprentice who had disappointed him. His voice was softer than it had been in life, yet it roared loudly in Kan's ears, finding its way down into his heart.

"Kan."

Kan went down on his knees, unable to speak. It wasn't happening. It was all a dream. Ruru couldn't die. He had to stay here, to train Kan to be a Jedi. This was just a nightmare. Soon he would wake up, soon…

He looked up. Ruru had slumped down onto the ground, as if he were sleeping. _This is just a dream…_

It was several minutes before he realized that his Master had died.

He crawled over to where Ruru lay and slowly put his head on his Master's chest. But it was no use. The blasts had gone straight through his vital organs and had killed him almost immediately. Kan felt Ruru's tunic grow wet, dully comprehending that it was both Kan's tears and his Master's blood. He didn't care. He didn't even look up when he heard the thud of Jango's boots as he strode across the space to where Kan lay.

_Take me with you, Master._

"Kill me," Kan heard himself say. Had his voice always sounded like his? So flat and hoarse, little more than a whisper?

Someone drew a ragged sob, but it was not until later that he realized that the sob came from him.

_I don't want to live. Not without you, Master. I need you. Come back._

_ Come back._

He didn't hear the bounty hunter walk away.

* * * * *

"Kan, get up. You _must_ get up." Adriaan was speaking urgently into his ear.

He pretended not to hear.

"Kan, what would your Master say if he saw you like this? You have to move on."

He did not want to move on. He wanted to lie in the dirt forever.

But he felt too weary to argue. He got up.

He looked at Adriaan as if through a dull haze. It still all seemed too dreamlike to be possible. He would wake up soon. He had classes to attend tomorrow at the Temple…

"Is it time for my first class, Master?" he mumbled sleepily.

"This isn't a dream. I am Adriaan. Your Master is not here right now. Wake up." Her voice sounded like she was speaking through glass, muffled and echoing hollowly.

He looked down. His Master lay sprawled as if in sleep, his face eerily soft and serene, his brow smoothed, his mouth slack.

Then Kan knew that it wasn't a dream. He Master was gone forever. His stomach lurched as he jerked his head up to rid himself of the terrible sight of Ruru's dead body. He swayed as he straightened up.

Adriaan caught him before he stumbled and fell. Grasping him firmly by the shoulders, she spun him around so that they were eye to eye.

"Kan, you have to keep fighting. We can't get out. You _must _keep going if you want to live. Do you understand what I'm saying? We're cornered. We can't get out."

He stared at her blankly. His mind seemed to be made of fog. He couldn't think. He could only stare, knowing that with each breathe he took, Ruru was dead.

_Keep going._

_ Fight._

"I can't," Kan said.

Adriaan looked at him for several minutes. "Kan, I know you can. Why do you think Ruru gave up his life? He gave it for you. He wanted you to live because loved you, and he believed that you would use your second chance wisely to help for the good of the galaxy. We need you. You can do it. I believe in you."

_I believe in you._

_ The Force will be with you. Always. _

_ "_I_ will be with you. Always."_

_ Is that you, Master?_

_ I am one with the Force. And the Force can never leave you._

He squared his shoulders and blinked. His eyes looked at Adriaan, and now he saw her as a clear image, not a muddy picture of her like an old hologram. He felt a purpose being renewed within him, and as he stood taller, he felt as though Ruru really was there, standing beside him, guiding his hand. His grief and weariness remained, but they felt lighter than before. Death had not separated him form his Master. He saw that now. Maybe death had brought them closer, for Ruru would never leave him.

His gaze met Adriaan's. "Let's go."

A small grin erased the concern from her face. "Come on."

She leaped up and began to run, her long legs taking bounding leaps as she swung her lightsaber to chop off a droid's head here, a Geonosian there, her feet literally gliding across the surface as she hacked her way through the never-ending line of enemies. Kan started after her, but soon fell far behind. But he hardly noticed; his mind was on one track now. He decapitated three droids with one swing, but the ranks of Separatists kept on attacking with unchecked force. He was forced to double his pace, his lightsaber swinging faster and faster until he seemed to hardly touch one droid before going on to the next. His muscles burned and his arms felt ready to give out, but he ignored his body's plea to rest and pushed his muscles to the limit…and beyond. The blood raced through his veins, his lungs expanding painfully with each labored breath as he brought his lightsaber swinging down upon droid upon droid, again and again and again. He held out a hand, and at his command the Force sent five droids flying into one another. A droideka wheeled toward him; he ducked and swung. Blazing fragments of molten metal exploded around him like fireworks. Never before had he fought so hard and so fast.

_If only my Master could see me now…_

Jango Fett zoomed past him, the flames emanating from his jetpack singing the hair on Kan's arms and head.

_He killed my Master. _

His blood boiled as Jango shot another Jedi through the head, his Westars smoking from the blasts. He did it with such indifference, as if it did not matter whether a person was killed or not. The Jedi did not believe that. The Jedi did not kill for the sake of killing, but killed an enemy as a last resort. And when they had to kill a being, they mourned over their enemy's death like they would for a lost comrade. It made Kan's face grow hot with fury at seeing such a ruthless killer. And remembering how this hunter had killed Ruru without any trace of emotion did not help to cool his temper.

_I must kill him, _his heart screamed inside him, _For all the Jedi that he has killed. He must be punished. And my Master must be avenged._

_ Don't do it, Kan. Only the Sith kill for revenge. You will only become your own enemy if you do this._

"Is it wrong for me to kill a murderer who will surely kill more if he is not stopped?" Kan answered to the voices aloud.

_That is not the reason why you want to kill him._

But Kan was past caring for that by now. He had lost his calm center. Fury overtook him. "Murderer!" he screamed, stumbling after the bounty hunter, half-drunk with hatred.

Suddenly he came face to face with the Reek.

"R-R-R-R-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R!!!!"

All his wits deserted him. He turned and ran.

Straight into a pack of battle droids. Blasterfire rocketed around him, missing him by millimeters and some of them exploding right by his ear.

The Reek followed, crushing the droids in his path, not caring whether they were his friends or his foes. All he knew was that he had been cheated earlier from his dinner, and he was not to be deceived again.

Kan struggled through the roiling mass of droids, his heart beating wildly in terror. He felt the hot, rancid breath of the creature on his neck. He ran harder, not daring to look back to see how close the reek was.

_It's over, Kan. If you hadn't reacted in anger…_

_ I know. I'm sorry that I did. I won't do it again._

_ If you hadn't disobeyed the Council, your Master would have lived._

His insides recoiled as if he'd been slapped. Yet he knew that it was the truth.

Jordin suddenly leaped into the fray, her blue eyes lit with a strange light, her red-gold hair fanning out behind her like flames. "Kan!"

He felt even more guilty. In all the confusion, he had forgotten about her. He hadn't wondered at all if she was still alive. Yet here she was. She had not forgotten her friend.

_What if it had been Jordin instead of Ruru that had been there to watch my back?_

He swerved and slashed at one droid, then leaped and took out another. Jordin rolled between his legs, cutting the droids' supporting limbs right from underneath them.

Jordin suddenly pushed him roughly to one side, a microsecond before the reek rushed past them.

Kan turned to see the creature charge into Mace Windu.

A look of shocked surprise flashed across the great Master's dark face, then just as quickly the cool, composed mask that Mace Windu always wore slid back into place. He turned and faced his adversary calmly. The reek stamped its foot menacingly, as if daring Windu to run for it. The Jedi held his place.

With a bellow of victory, the creature galloped toward him, horns lowered to gore its prey. Just then Kan heard the blast of a jetpack being fired, and before anyone could react, Jango Fett landed right in the middle of the reek's path.

Apparently a bounty hunter was just as exhilarating to impale as was a Jedi, for the reek did not stop, but stomped right onto Jango. Using its horns to push the bounty hunter along, the reek trampled over the armored hunter until they were some distance away from Mace Windu. The creature turned, pawed the ground savagely, then charged for Jango, head down with the intent to kill.

The bounty hunter's silver armor had protected him from most of the blows. Rolling to his feet, Jango hefted his blasters and shot the Reek between the eyes. The beast stumbled and fell, roaring out its bellowing cry. But its voice shook near the end, and it did not breathe again.

Jango turned to mace Windu, his Westar 34 blasters gleaming ominously as he took aim. Mace Windu's gaze was level, unimpressed, unafraid.

Each blaster fired twice in succession, but Windu deflected them easily,, his violet lightsaber humming energetically.

For the first time, Kan could see a trace of fear in the stance of the bounty hunter as he took a step back. _And well he should, _Kan thought, _Master Windu is the second greatest Jedi in the Temple._

Master Windu charged, lightsaber raised on the offensive. Jango fired again and again, on the defensive now; as the Jedi kept coming closer, he took a step back each time he fired.

Mace Windu's lightsaber swung in a straight line for Jango's neck.

The bounty hunter's helmet flew through the air as Master Windu's lightsaber came in contact with Jango. Mace Windu completed the swing with a sort of careless, practiced ease as if he had been cutting through air. Kan's eyes followed the flying helmet until it landed with a dull _thunk_ several meters away. Kan stared, mesmerized, as Jango's headless body collapsed to its knees, as if in prayer. Then it rolled over and lay still.

It was over. The man ––– no, the _monster _––– that had killed Ruru Xelan, was disposed of properly, the Jedi way. No revenge involved. Kan screamed out loud. "YES!"

_Don't say that, Kan. You shouldn't feel happy over his death. _

_"But he was evil!" _Kan wanted to shout. _"It was necessary to kill him. I am in the right."_

_ Necessary, yes. Just, yes. But that does not mean that it was the __right__ thing to do. And you are NOT in the right. You are just as bad as Jango Fett. You are worse. You said you would not react in anger._

_ "I did not react in anger."_

A small movement just beyond the reach of his vision caused him to turn. In the shadow of one of the arena gates, a forlorn figure crouched. It was a young boy, not much older than Aedan. Tousled dark hair hung limply upon a dark blue tunic, and flinty eyes flat with disbelief stared out at the battlefield.

Kan frowned. _Why do I feel as if I've seen him before?_

A figure rose up in his mind, shadowed in mist. The face was much like the boy's, except stonier, older, and scarred by many battles, with a purpose so hardened that he killed without any thought for his victims. Kan had only seen the face once ––– the rest of the time it had been shrouded by a silver and blue mask. But he knew it. It was ingrained in his memory forever.

The face was that of Jango Fett.

Now he remembered. Prior to the battle, he hadn't taken much notice of anything, but he remembered seeing the bounty hunter and this boy standing together in the official's box, next to Count Dooku. Who was this kid? Could he be an Apprentice to Jango Fett? But they both looked so similar in appearance, almost like father and son. Kan had never heard of bounty hunters having families to go home to, of having children to teach their trade to. Could this boy have been Jango's son?

He felt a stab of pity shoot through his body, threatening to rend his heart in two. He had been wrong. He had wanted to kill the bounty hunter that had been someone to that boy. Ruru had been like a father to Kan. Could Jango have been a good father to his son? It was a revolting thought. That man could not have been a father to that young boy. Jango Fett had been cruel and heartless, ruthless enough to kill a Master in front of an Apprentice that had loved the Master like a father. Jango Fett could not have pity for anyone. A child could not be raised in such an environment that killing was a daily way of life. A society that did not respect the dead. But the Jedi mourned over every lost being. Mace Windu was right to kill him.

Yet as Kan saw Mace Windu's cold expression as he bent over the body, he wondered.

* * * * *

They were losing.

It was no use pretending. The Jedi were outnumbered. And they were surrounded. Even as Adriaan glanced around as she continued to deflect blasterfire and chop through droids, she could see even more Separatist forces pouring through the gates like xring roaches. Looking at the pitifully degraded group of the original two-hundred Jedi sent to Geonosis, now just a handful of warriors, and flanked from all sides by firing droids, she felt her heart fall.

_Darc, you should be glad that you are not here._

Suddenly, it was over. The blasterfire stopped coming. Droids lowered their weapons, Droidekas came to a standstill, and the super battle droids deactivated the laser cannons built into their systems and put their firing arm up, signaling that they weren't going to fire. Adriaan felt some of the Jedi around her shift uneasily, not trusting to lower their weapons.

Without taking her gaze off the droids, her eyes darted quickly around. All the avenues of escape had been blocked off. A few remaining Masters strode through the lines of droids and joined the group clustered in the center. They were all standing back to back in a loose circle, all eyes riveted on the official's box where they knew that Count Dooku had presided throughout the entire battle. Nadma Okiwa came up beside her, holding her orange lightsaber in an easily recognizable defensive position. Obi-Wan looked up from where he had been checking a fallen Jedi's vitals. Padmé lowered her blaster reluctantly. Jade Yil slowly morphed from a Geonosian back to her original shape. She had cleverly changed to a native of the planet near the beginning of the battle so that she could more easily keep the enemy off-balance. Kan and Jordin were a few meters away, their faces white with suspense. They had handled the whole thing very well until now, when they must wait in silence for their fate to be decided. Adriaan saw that Kan's legs were shaking. She didn't blame him. The battle was beginning to tire everyone out.

Kien wiped a spot of blood from his face while Aedan continued to glare at the dark-clothed figure standing in the official's box. Adriaan couldn't see his face from that far, but she had no doubt that the figure was Count Dooku. It was very likely that he had watched the entire spectacle from his high place of safety and enjoyed the whole thing. _Enjoyed_ it! While his allies and his foes alike spilled blood in his dirty arena. And he had once been a Jedi, too. How many of the fallen had he known in the days of his knighthood? No doubt he had known many. Obviously he didn't care ––– he had even wasted Jango Fett's life, and the bounty hunter had a son to account for. An artificial son ––– a clone, a copy of Jango ––– but still, a son.

Adriaan felt her blood boil, and she hastily tried to think of something else. She wasn't an Apprentice now, she was a Jedi. She couldn't use anger as a source for energy. Only the Sith did that.

_But I was taught the ways of the Sith…_

"Master Windu!" Dooku's voice rang over them as if he were shouting down from a mountaintop. "You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the Archives of the Jedi Order."

His tone seemed cold yet polite, but Adriaan could feel the malice and sarcasm in his words, which seemed to curl around her ears like rancid smoke. _Idiot! _she thought grimly. Did he think that they were too stupid to catch the meaning in his smooth, empty speeches? He spoke with such oily slickness and lack of expression that it was hard to tell whether he was insulting or complimenting you. "Recognition in the Archives"? What a joke. That was just Dooku's way of saying, "You guys think you're all that, and you have Archives to fill to the top with records of your 'great deeds'. But you are not what you think you are. You will not defeat us."

"Now, it is finished," The Count continued.

_Finished? It has just begun! _

"Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

_"NEVER!" _Adriaan wanted to shout, and several others looked like they were about to say the same thing. How dare he? They would never bow in homage to Dooku, who would most likely use them as hostages that would reap in billions of credits as a ransom, credits enough for the Separatists to stock more weapons and droids to use against the Republic. They would most likely take in quite a bit of profit from the planet Naboo in exchange for Senator Amidala's freedom, and if not, the Count could hand her over to the Viceroy and gain the Trade Federation's loyalty.

The Jedi remained in a stony silence. They would not shout in anger. There was a slight ripple throughout the group as their eyes all shifted to their leader. The only sound was the angry muttering of the Wicked Club. "GOODS," they murmured.

It was their leader, the one who was second in the Order to Yoda, the one who had led them all and had not given up, spoke for them all. "We will not surrender as hostages to be _bartered_, Dooku," Mace Windu said distinctly. They would not back down. The cold finality in his voice was clear.

The Jedi nodded at one another in agreement, moving closer to stand by Windu. For once, even Aedan concurred with Mace Windu. "WICKED Windu!" he whispered loudly.

Dooku alone did not seem impressed. He seemed almost disappointed, as if he had expected more from them. His face wore a mask of regret, but this time, no one was fooled. They all knew what his next command would be. And they could tell that he was looking forward to it. "Well, I'm sorry old friend," he said, and bowed his head as if reluctant to watch.

In spite of the grave circumstances, Adriaan smiled. _You fool, we can see through your mask. You aren't sorry to watch us die. We aren't sorry, either. Not at all!_

No doubt the slight inclination of his head was some sort of signal, for the battle droids pointed their weapons at them. The Jedi shifted position, ready to attack.

Adriaan heard a roaring over her head, but she paid no heed to it, her mind entirely focused on the droids in front of her. _I'll take the droidekas out first, so they won't get a chance to break through our circle. We need to get rid of all the strongest firepower first. Next I'll head for that line of super battle droids…_

It was Padmé that first glanced up. "Look!" she shouted.

Then they saw the first gunships arriving.


	16. The Face of Fett Lives

Chapter 16

"The clone army! The clones are coming!" Kan heard Adriaan shout as the landing craft zoomed over them.

The battle droids began to fire at them. The Jedi exploded into movement, deflecting the fire back.

"Clones? Which side are they on?" Jordin yelled back as she plunged her weapon down to the hilt into the control panel of a droid.

"Look!" Kan said, pointing toward the leading ship. A small, greenish-blue figure, clothed in drab gray and leaning on a gimer stick, was standing in the passenger hold, surveying the arena below him.

"Yoda!" Kan screamed, even though he knew no one could hear him above the roar of the battle. "Yoda has arrived!"

Aedan also spotted the familiar, comforting, pointy-eared figure perched inside the craft. He grinned as he chopped a Geonosian in half. "WICKED!"

Adriaan swung at a droid, kicking out with her left foot in the opposite direction. Her toe grazed a droid and sent it flying. Master Okiwa was right behind her, reinforcing her moves and watching her back. A Geonosian flew for Nadma's head, only to be blasted into oblivion by a shot from Padmé.

The clone's battle craft landed in a circle, creating a protective barrier that separated the Jedi from the droids. The hatch on the ship closest to Kan opened, revealing a space large enough to hold several passengers. Kan hopped on board, swiftly followed by Aedan, Jordin, Terry, Na'thin, Kien, Minir, Jahn Pal and Sai'wer. Adriaan slowly backed up, deflecting the blasterfire coming at them from all directions. One foot lifted up onto the ship. A droideka uncoiled and moved for Adriaan, firing a barrage of swift, deadly blasts. Adriaan deflected faster to keep up, her lightsaber a mere blur as she swung in a complicated pattern that looked as if she were a hologram in fast forward. Her other foot stepped on board. "Take off!" she yelled as a cannon blast imploded right by her ear, dangerously rocking the ship with the impact.

A man in white body armor, masked by a helmet similar to Jango Fett's Mandalorian suit, saluted to her over several Wicked Club member's heads.

Adriaan ducked as a laser bolt zoomed for her neck. It missed her by millimeters and pinged off some machinery overhead. "Are you on our side?" she asked, cocking an eye at him suspiciously. Kan wondered if she, too, noticed the verisimilitude to the deceased bounty hunter. There was possibly a natural explanation for the similarities, of course. Perhaps Mandalorians had cloned them.

_But the Mandalorians were warriors, not cloners. Besides, they're nearly extinct, and those left are pacifists now. _

The clone trooper nodded. "The Republic has purchased our army," he said in a crisp, no-nonsense voice. Kan wasn't sure whether he liked the voice. It was strong, metallic, hard, as if their really wasn't anything behind the blank mask he wore. An empty suit of body armor. "We are under command to follow your orders, sir."

"Under _my _orders?" she asked incredulously.

"The highest ranking Jedi to enter a vehicle is in immediate command," he explained respectfully. "It is obvious that these children are Jedi Apprentices. That makes you the commander here. Its under orders, sir."

"Indeed," Adriaan said with a voice tinged with sarcasm. "What are you called?"

"We are addressed by our number," he said. "My number is CT-6\721, and our pilot is CT-4\258."

The pilot looked up from the controls in the bubble-like cockpit and nodded in greeting.

"We're preparing for immediate takeoff," CT-4\258 told them. His voice sounded hollow from inside the transparisteel enclosure.

Kan glanced out at the battle ring. Droid parts, smashed Geonosian bodies and bloodied bodies littered the floor. The enemies that had not fallen yet were rapidly firing at the departing gunships. A blast streaked past him and bounced off the ship's hull with a sharp metallic _clang_. "You bet we're taking off!" he yelled.

"WICKED!" Aedan shouted as the gunship pulled out of the arena and shot into the blood-colored sky to safety.

Or so Kan had hoped. Now he saw that they were far from safety–––down below the ships were landing into an assembly area. Batteries of ground assault units had been transported by the clone army, and already Kan could see Jedi getting off the rescue ships to take command of the clone infantry units. Obviously, the battle was just in an interval of rest, at least until the Separatists marched out of their stronghold to overtake the Jedi.

"Where are we going?" Jordin asked.

Kan watched Adriaan warily. No stiffening of the back or inclination of her head suggested that she heard Jordin. Her shoulders were squared, the muscles in her neck tightening. Kan began to feel uncomfortable. They had failed. They had been discovered. Soon would come the first of, no doubt, many lectures. _Come on, turn around, just get this over with._

Adriaan whirled around so vehemently that Jordin gaped in surprise while the younglings behind her took a step backward. "_WE_ are about to split up," she said evenly, punching each syllable into the air. She turned to the trooper. "I need to get these kids off-planet and on the fastest route possible back to Coruscant, where they belong."

"What?" Jordin said.

"GOOD!" The Wicked Club protested.

Only Kan remained silent. Now that it was over, he didn't care about what happened now. During the battle he hadn't had the time to think about his Master, but now the grief stared to escape from the prison he had built for it inside him and it filled his heart, threatening to choke him. The thought of living without the gentle guidance of his Master seemed impossible. Yet now it was true. He had been bad, terrible ––– he had disobeyed his Master, and the whole Council, who had trusted him to keep his promise. Instead he had broken it, and he had had many opportunities to turn back, but instead he had been obstinate and had continued through with his disobedience to the limit, until it was he who had caused the death of Ruru ––– Ruru, who had been innocent, while Kan had been so wrong. He dreaded the thought of facing the Temple when he got home. He dreaded enduring the long endless hours of hyperspace, feeling the torment of the knowledge that he was responsible for the death of someone whom he had treated like the father he had never had. What would his friends think of him now ––– he, the quiet and obedient Apprentice, now without a Master and without the benefits of being on the good side of the Council? He gagged.

Adriaan's keen ears must have caught the sound he had made in his throat, for her gaze swerved and fixed on him in an unnerving, unblinking stare. Strangely, her gaze suddenly reminded him of a wildcat's, with the weird black and green flecks in her irises, narrowed, slit-like pupils. Kan quickly looked down, afraid to meet the startling blue eyes that were flicking over him as if he were a lab experiment. He let out a sigh of relief when she finally turned around. "Well? What ships do you have available?"

"I can contact the ground commander now, sir," CT-6\721 offered. "He will find you a transport right away, sir."

"Stop calling me 'sir'" Adriaan broke in impatiently. "I'm a girl."

"Well then, yes, ma'am."

"And don't call me 'ma'am' either," she said. "People that call me 'ma'am' creep me out. It's something about the…I don't know, the servility, I guess, that gets on my nerves."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," CT-6\721 said. "It's against orders to refer to you without your proper title. It's rebellious. I'm sorry, ma'am."

CT-6\721 switched on his wrist comlink, speaking a few inaudible words into it as he did so. Kan heard the device crackle as the commander sent back a transmission. After a few more words of conference, the clone turned off his comlink and turned back to Adriaan.

"There is a ship available for departure, master," he said. "The Jedi Apprentices can board as soon as we land."

"Good," Adriaan said.

"Yes, GOOD," the Wicked Club murmured sulkily.

The ship circled the area once, then descended. "This is where we stop, kids," Adriaan said gruffly. "Hop off."

The Padawans disembarked grumpily.

"And I didn't even get to find my WICKED massiff so I could bring it back home with me," Aedan griped.

Adriaan raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me that you actually _caught_ one of those things."

"Yep," Aedan answered proudly. "And I WICKEDLY trained it, too."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, kid, let's get this straight. You caught, trained and named this massiff that you somehow acquired during your trip to the arena, and now you don't have it. Where did it go? I thought you said that you 'trained' it."

He smirked insidiously. "It got pretty hungry watching all those GOOD flying bugs.…"

"Hungry?!" Adriaan said. "Aedan, what were you going to feed that wild creature after you got back home?"

"I find WICKED ways to feed all of my pets," Aedan said.

"He has a baby krayt dragon, and some pit beasts," Terry said.

"_Pit beasts_?"

"Miniature," Minir added. "Genetically altered so they can't grow to full size. We get them on a discount from a dealer a couple levels down."

"You aren't supposed to be out of Temple grounds without permission," Adriaan pointed out.

"There are ways…" Kien said vaguely.

Adriaan huffed and whirled around. " All of this is pointless. I'm glad that thing ran off."

"NOT!" Aedan screamed. "It did not turn GOOD and run! He WICKED! And he will return to me," Aedan added in a softer voice. "I will make sure of that."

"How can you?" Adriaan asked mockingly.

But Aedan was serious. "The WICKED ones always return to me."

Adriaan said nothing. Without a backward glance, she stormed over to the forward command center, where the clone commanders had gathered to survey the battle. She strode to the commander, distinguished with yellow markings on his helmet, indicating his rank, and she spoke a few words to him. She looked once in their direction, nodded, then stomped off, making her way quickly toward a group of Jedi holding a hasty conference.

The Apprentices sat down, feeling dejected. No one even bothered to look in their direction. No doubt they all thought that the Padawans didn't even exist. CT-4\258 and CT-6\721, the only clones that they knew by name, or rather number, had seemingly disappeared after they had reported to their commander and had joined the endless ranks of white-uniformed soldiers.

A sharp tap on his shoulder made Kan turn around. Jordin jerked her chin in the direction of the clone Adriaan had spoken to earlier. He was waving at them to come over. They got up and practically ran him over ––– they were only too happy to have someone, at least, acknowledging that they were here and that they needed help. The commander gazed down at them from the slits on the black, T-shaped eye piece on his helmet, his face unreadable behind the expressionless mask. Kan began to wonder whether clones had any emotion at all–––maybe they didn't inherit feelings from their host. The sight of the clones ––– it triggered his memory, as if he'd seen them before. He'd seen someone stand like the commander did ––– calm, placid, and cold. As Kan looked around, he began to notice how they all hefted their weapons, how they held a blaster rifle, how they stood completely motionless and just stared at you…

He watched as a clone began to clean his utility belt with a practiced, methodical hand as he polished it with a dark-colored rag. Satisfied with the results, he began to remove his helmet with the intent of wiping the dirt from the T-mask. Then the trooper happened to glance up, revealing a hard, battle-scarred face.

Kan gasped. The clone was an exact copy of Jango Fett!

His eyes were wide as he exchanged a look with Jordin. Her gaze quickly zoomed back to the clone, her face pale. She, too, noticed the resemblance to Jango, the bounty hunter for the Separatist cause. And now that he thought of it, even the white suits of the clones were similar to the silver and blue Mandalorian armor.

But the question was, if they were copies of Jango Fett, then what were they doing here, fighting for the Republic? If Jango was the original host, the one whose DNA was used to create these fighting machines, why did they rescue the Jedi, who were obviously an enemy of the Separatists? Hadn't Jango killed Ruru? And hadn't Jango himself been killed by a Jedi Master?

_The only side a bounty hunter fights for is his own._

It was an old saying, and everyone knew it well. Mercenaries weren't politicians. Many political leaders pushed for bans on bounty hunters, forbidding them access to their planets. Bounty hunters worked for a cause only if they were guaranteed an adequate reward for their services. And for the most part, they worked alone; teaming up with each other usually ended with a bloody fight over the credits rewarded to them. Was it possible that Jango Fett was getting paid large sums of credits for contributing his genetic material to the clone army being created for the Republic, and at the same time being paid even more credits to work for the opposite cause ––– for the Separatists? Or maybe he didn't know who the army was being built for; maybe they had been meant for Count Dooku, but the cloners had given the army to the Jedi instead. Jedi protection was worthwhile. But Jango and an accomplice had been hired to assassinate Senator Amidala. He had killed his fellow mercenary when the Jedi got too hot on his trail. So Jango had been capable of all of this.

_But if he was capable of all this, or it was all just a mistake made by the cloners, then why am I getting the feeling that something is not right here?_

The commander saluted stiffly. "Jedi Master ell Talaan has requested immediate passage off-planet for you," he said crisply. "You will be escorted by clone CT-2\110." He indicated a lesser trooper standing near him. CT-2\110 jerked his thumb toward a cruiser a few hundred meters away. It was a Pelta-class frigate, almost brand-new. Aedan and the Wicked Club looked at it with distaste.

"GOOD-looking," they muttered.

"Yes, sirs," CT-2\110 agreed.

Terry snickered.

CT-2\110 strode up the ramp. "Stay here while we conduct the preflight check for you, sirs. It won't be long."

The clone disappeared into the hold.

Aedan signaled to the rest. "Quick, here's our chance to WICKEDLY run for it!" he said, edging away.

"You're going to what?" Jordin asked.

"No talk. WICKEDLY run!" Na'thin said as the Wicked Club raced after their leader. Before they could react, Terry had swiftly grabbed both Kan and Jordin by the arm, dragging them away from the ship. Jordin lifted up her free hand and slapped it across his face, but he took no notice. "We can't run off again!" she said furiously, kicking him in the shins. He bared his teeth and nearly pulled her arm out of the socket as he doggedly continued to lead them away. Kan reached out a hand, calling upon the Force, and Terry was suddenly levitated a few meters from the ground. The Wicked Club scrambled back to help their comrade, and they soon had Kan and Jordin surrounded.

"GOODS! Be WICKED!" Aedan said, urging them on.

"Come on, Terry, knock those GOODS out!" the rest of them screamed.

"We're not going to forfeit what chances we have with the Council by running away again," Kan told them.

Terry, still suspended in midair, grinned, staring at something over Kan's shoulder. "If you don't run now, the GOODS are gonna make it blow."

"Make wha –––"

Suddenly he felt a puff of warm air on his neck. An ear-shattering blast rent the air, and everyone sank into silence, their gazes fastened on the ship behind him. He felt them all stiffen, and he released Terry and forced his head to turn and look that way, too.

A Separatist tank sent another deadly shot toward the smoking ship, and it was all over. With a terrific _BOOM_, what had been their passage to Coruscant was now a flaming, smoking heap of debris, not even fit for Jawa scavengers.

Fresh troops quickly poured in, taking stock of the situation, efficiently putting out the roaring fire with their equipment. A laser blast from a ground assault cannon easily dispatched the Separatist vehicle. No one noticed the nine weary, soot-covered Padawans huddled in the dirt. Perhaps adults didn't really see kids as they were; children were part of the scenery, the background. They couldn't do what adults could do. Maybe they were all too busy to bother taking responsibility for them. The Apprentices were not supposed to be here, after all. Why should they be noticed?

Kan took a deep breath. If they hadn't disobeyed poor CT-2\110 and had run away, they would have blown up with the ship. Yet even though their lives were saved, they had been saved by committing a misdeed; disobedience, a serious crime for an Apprentice. And here they were, untouched, alive and well. It didn't make sense.

_Good repays good, and evil repays evil._

Sooner or later, their actions would be answered for.

* * * * *

Adriaan saw the ship explode before anyone else did, because her gaze happened to wander right to the spot just as it had been hit. Before anyone else could retaliate, she had already whipped out her comlink was rapidly dialing the number code for the command center.

"Troops marching out…ready to attack…" the comlink crackled.

"Commander," Adriaan cut in. "We've spotted a casualty in sector 127. Pelta-class frigate. Destroyed by enemy forces. Do you copy?"

"We have…ship destroyed…droid army marching…" the clone said through the static. "We've sent a squad…situation covered…Master Kenobi and his Apprentice MIA…Senator Amidala…Yoda departing on ship L251…"

"That's not my problem," Adriaan said impatiently. "I need to know if anyone survived the explosion in sector 127. The ship is a Pelta-class cruiser. What are you getting in the readings?"

There was a slight pause in the transmission. The comlink crackled again as the commander came through. "Situation covered…no survivors…Separatist communications jammed…"

Adriaan felt the blood drain from her face. She could see them now, those silly, naïve Apprentices, sprawled among the flaming rubble…

The commander was saying something more, doubtless something important, but she couldn't understand what he was saying through all the static. She didn't want to know. Frustrated, she switched off the transmission.

_Everyone I seemed to have an attachment to was killed. So subtly, I never knew until it was too late…_

She saw Siri striding toward her, and she quickly shut the thoughts away in her mind. "Adriaan," she said urgently. "The droid army is marching out."

Adriaan's gaze followed the columns of troopers, an infinite torrent of bodies encased in white, speckled with the shining black of blaster rifles. Her eyes went out over their heads to a brown speck on the horizon. Adriaan shielded her eyes to see clearer.

Her eyebrows shot up over her forehead. The commander had been right. The Separatists did not dare to let them escape so easily; it would have been too big of a blow. They had their pride and their reputations here at stake. They had sent Trade Federation droid reinforcements to gain the upper hand. Already, Adriaan could make out the forms of spider droids, droidekas, and assault vehicles silhouetted against the red landscape. The spherical space battle freighters were slowly rising from their docking bases, anxious to get out into space and block off the Jedi's escape.

She couldn't ignore this. She had volunteered to lead this squad, and if she failed, she would fail in everything in the Jedi's point of view. The disappearance of the Padawans was her responsibility, but so was the leading of the clone squad. She felt torn.

_You shouldn't feel torn. Stop pretending. They are dead. Don't deny it._

_ I have to deny it. I will deny it until there is proof that they are truly gone. _

_ You will probably find them where you are going._

She turned to Siri. "What's up with the comm signal here?" she asked. "I called the command center, but I couldn't get a clear transmission. Did our clone units jam their communications?"

Master Tachi nodded. "Yes. We had to cut the Seps from all forms of communication to prevent reinforcements from arriving. The reception is bad, though, because of the atmospheric disturbances that occur daily on this rock world. But you should be able to get a clear transmission now."

"Okay," she already had her comlink out and was punching in the command center code for thesecond time that day. She waited impatiently for someone to come through. "I'm a littleperturbed about those space freighters ––– if they get out of the atmosphere, we could be in really big trouble once we get into space. The escape has to be clean if we want to make it back to Coruscant."

Just then the transmission was picked up from the other end. "Commander?" she rapped out. "Take your assault walkers and have them concentrate all their firepower on the nearest Separatist starship. Repeat, concentrate all firepower –––"

A few seconds later, Adriaan grinned with satisfaction as a battery of ground assault vehicles ––– SPHA-T's ––– shot down one of the immense enemy spacecraft. Her comlink signaled, and she switched it on holomode. This time, it was not the command center, but another Jedi Knight like herself, Aayla Secura.

"Great minds think alike," she remarked drily. A female Twilek renowned for her skills with the Force, Aayla's intelligent, attractive aqua blue face stood out on the screen, her yellowish eyes gazing at Adriaan with obvious respect. "Yoda gave the same command to blow the starships a few seconds after your squad started to fire. The droid army is retreating. Well done."

"I'll be down with them shortly." Adriaan said. Her body suddenly felt very warm underneath all the praise. It wasn't often that a fellow Knight like Secura would compliment her. She paused for a moment. "Master?" she asked. "There were nine students who somehow managed to come along. I got them on a direct flight back to the Temple, but it exploded." _And they weren't on it, _she added to herself.

There was a brief pause in the transmission. "Are you saying you think that they never got on?" Aayla asked finally.

"Yes," Adriaan admitted. "Those kids are more than they seem. I called the command center, but the reports say there were no survivors. But I don't feel anything. If they were dead, I would have felt something."

"I'll keep a lookout for them," Aayla promised.

"I will, too," Siri said. "This is no place for them to be."

Adriaan felt relieved. She had felt so alone, with all of her friends dead or just gone. She felt unready, too immature to be what she was. She was grateful for Aayla's and Siri's help. It payed to have a friend as powerful as Secura.

She tucked her comlink into her utility belt. She stood alone, facing the departing army of the Separatists. The Republic was not going to let them go so easily, however. There were still too may droids left. She turned to her clones that were, as always, standing stiffly at attention right behind her.

"Let's get 'em, boys," she said.


	17. A Costly Victory

Chapter 17

Adriaan cut down the last lingering super battle droid. Between the efficiency of the clones and the might of the Jedi, the handful of unimaginative droids were forced to quit. The battle was over.

There was still no sign of the Apprentices. They had never shown up as she thought they would have. She hadn't even a clue to their disappearance. All the evidence was pointing to their deaths.

_Yet I can't believe that they are dead. I cannot! It was all my fault, making them get on that ship and just abandoning them, pawning them off to the clones like that. I should have stayed. I should have kept them close by, at least until the fighting was over, so that there would be no danger of them getting blasted into oblivion. I will not believe that they are dead. I will not._

_And when they show up, man will I have a few things to say to them! _She smiled in spite of herself.

She turned around, surveying the field. Sizzling droid parts and the mangled bodies of Geonosians, Jedi, and clones mingled. Smoking rubble was everywhere. Dirt, sweat and blood covered the faces of the victors. Adriaan drew her arm across her brow wearily. As she glanced down at her sleeve, she could plainly see specks of dried blood and red dirt streaked across the black cloth.

She paused by the remains of a spider droid. Across its burning, twisted form, the body of a young Jedi Knight lay battered and broken, a cloudy film dulling his once warm, friendly brown eyes.

Adriaan's bloodstained hands clenched. This was victory?

A noise from behind made her turn around. Nadma Okiwa was standing quietly to one side, her luminous, almost moon-colored eyes looking even paler against a face ashen with grief. Looking over Nadma's shoulder, Adriaan felt her heart stop at what she saw.

Behind her, nine dirty, scorched, disheveled, tired, smelly Padawans sat on the ground, staring at her with mixed looks of guilt, sulkiness, or just plain weariness. Adriaan felt a sharp stab of half-pity and relief course through her. The lectures, the angry things she had meant to say to them fled from her mind as she looked at their pitiful figures. Most of them did not look like they were capable of such impudence. With the exception of Aedan, Kien, Terry and Na'thin ––– whom she secretly liked to refer to as the leaders of all idiocy ––– their faces reflected the horror and hideous silence around them.

"Some of the younger ones were trying to capture a Separatist vehicle," Nadma said softly. "The older ones were watching over the others, hiding behind a heap of rubble."

Adriaan looked at him for a moment, surprised to hear her speak. The Arkanian Jedi was quiet by nature, and rarely spoke to anyone. Though she had been on the same ship with Okiwa for a few days, she could not recall her ever saying anything. Slim, soft, and possessing an elvish grace, her benign, pale blue eyes matched her personality well; silent, wise, and watchful.

"Masters," the Apprentice of Jade Yil began. "We're sorry we –––"

"Stop!" Adriaan said abruptly. "All will be told in the presence of the Council." Her gaze caught the stubborn grin on the leaders of all idiocy's faces. "ALL," she repeated, taking care to put emphasis on the word.

Their grins disappeared. The rest all slumped, looking dejecting.

Adriaan sighed. It was hard to be an Apprentice. She knew so well. She had had the hardest time of them all. She had been too stubborn, too ambitious.

_And I did not have a real Master._

Never mind. That was something she did not allow herself to think of.

Even so, she would have done the same thing if she had been in their position. But that didn't make their actions any less wrong. "Get up," she said, at a loss to say anything else.

Suddenly a noise overhead made them all look up. An LA-AT was approaching at a high velocity towards them. It circled twice, then descended smoothly a few meters away. The doors swung open, allowing the passengers to disembark.

The Senator, Padmé, was the first one to get off. Her white tunic was smeared with dirt, and it had been torn by the savage claws of the Nexu so that shreds of the cloth dangled in tatters. But her eyes were still alight and her face still had the energetic flush Adriaan had witnessed in the Senator on the battlefield. She had always had a partiality towards the young representative of Naboo ––– the warm brown eyes, smooth, attractive face, clean looks and compassionate nature had always been a cause for frank admiration in Adriaan. The garish, meretricious ways of the other political figures did not fit her standards for good politicians. This human female in her early twenties seemed to be the very model of a true representative of the people.

Obi-Wan followed next, shuffling slowly, as if in acute pain. A thick spattering of blood marked the side of his tunic. He was half-supported by his Apprentice, but even Anakin had managed to take a hit. Adriaan winced at the wound ––– his right arm had been completely hacked off, and it was obvious that a lightsaber had done the job. Glancing at the younger Apprentices, Adriaan noticed that Jordin had paled considerably at the sight of the brown stump that had once been a strong, muscular arm.

Adriaan strode forward purposefully, hands outstretched to help the wounded. She had to resist the temptation of asking what had happened. Her rule with those who had gotten hurt, or who had just come home from a mission, had always been to administer to their immediate needs first, and ask questions later.

She took Anakin's unsupported side and helped him down. Master Tachi was issuing crisp orders to the clones. "We'll need stretchers and medical kits," she said. "Search the battlefield for any survivors."

The clones saluted smartly and marched off to fulfill their duties.

Adriaan turned to Obi-Wan and his Apprentice. "Sit down," she said. "Don't move. We'll get you guys some food and medical treatment and get you out of here as fast as possible."

Obi-Wan looked too tired to argue, but Anakin seemed to recover from the first shock of losing a limb, for he began to lash out angrily at her. "Who are you to order us around?" he sputtered. "I am older and a lot stronger than you. Just because you're a Jedi Knight doesn't mean –––"

Adriaan gazed at him calmly. All of this wasn't new. He had always resented her, and becoming a Knight before him hadn't helped to cool matters between them. Besides, she was used to being insulted. As a student, she had often been made fun of, but it had never bothered her. She knew what she was, and no one was going to change her opinion of herself. "I'm not going to fight you, Skywalker," she said. "I am not your enemy. I have done nothing to deserve your contempt. Let me help you."

He scowled at her. She didn't back down. If it was to come to a fight, she would be ready to take the challenge. Someone had to teach him his place, and she wouldn't mind being the one to do it.

Padmé's voice drifted over to them. "Ani, you need to rest," she said gently. "She's only trying to help."

"I don't need help," Anakin said stubbornly.

Right now, Adriaan thought it would be funny to find out what he would do if she used Padmé's nickname of endearment, "Ani" But after seeing the anger in his face, she decided against it. _Better not even try._

Siri was staring at him with an odd expression on her face. "I find your tone interesting," she said. "Would I be too bold if I suggested that your actions seem to imply that you are _jealous_, Anakin?"

He made no reply, but his silence seemed to answer for him. _Adriaan should not have been knighted first._

The tense silence was finally broken when Yoda stepped down form the ship's hold and slowly hobbled forward to greet them.

Both Siri and Adriaan bowed, but he did not acknowledge their presence at first. Instead, his quiet gray-blue eyes swept over the battlefield, sadness clearly etched on his wrinkled old face. Adriaan suddenly realized with a pang that Yoda had known most of the fallen Jedi from when they had been babies. She could still remember the days when she had been eye to eye with the seemingly insignificant Master.

Yet he was definitely more than he seemed ––– everyone knew better than to call Yoda weak and undersized. Underneath his calm, wise nature, all the Jedi could sense a powerful connection to the Living Force emanating from him. It made it impossible for one to not feel the Force flowing through him in the presence of the great Master Yoda. His power of the Force was like contagion, strengthening everyone near him.

Yoda shook his head sorrowfully and turned his full attention to those of the living. His luminous, unfathomable eyes slowly gazed at each of the faces in turn, rooting out their secret thoughts and fears, until he came to rest on Adriaan.

She quickly inclined her head, showing respect for his sorrow. She, too, knew what it was like to lose someone she had known from babyhood, to never see them again. When she had lost her friend, she remembered that she had wanted to be left alone ––– she did not like people to stare at her as if she were some new and interesting species. So she did not meet Yoda's gaze, but waited with a bowed head.

"The battle, over it is," he said to her. "Yet, more battles to be fought, is there. Count Dooku, escaped he has. Stop him, I could not."

"You fought Dooku?" Adriaan asked. Now it all made sense. Anakin's wound. Obi-Wan's brooding silence. Even Yoda seemed to bend more over his gimer stick. She had guessed in her lonely musings that the mysterious attraction of the dark side that she had felt in Dooku only forced her to conclude that he was a Sith Lord. It wasn't impossible ––– she had seen it happen before, a Jedi, twisted by his own ambitions, arrogance, and pride, believing the ways of the Jedi would not serve his purposes ––– it was easier to be a strong fighter by using anger as a source of energy ––– and so become a convert to the dark side. That was what must have happened to Dooku. Many Jedi before the formation of the Republic had been disillusioned like that, and many of them made excellent little sith lords. Even in a time like this, when the Sith were little more than myths crouching in the shadows, Adriaan had been tempted to do the same thing.

"You defeated Dooku, but he decided to play womp weasel and managed to run off and hide in some dark hole," Adriaan guessed.

She looked to Amidala, who nodded gravely.

Four clones were now marching toward them, bearing medical stretchers for both Obi-Wan and Anakin. They were led by by Mace Windu, whose intense eyes traveled over all those present and finally caught sight of the wretched Padawans squatting in the dirt.

He stood for a moment, contemplating them as they wilted underneath his powerful, dark gaze. Once again, Adriaan felt sympathetic for their position, which was far from being good. She knew what it was like to endure the agonizing scrutiny of Mace Windu, who had never been known to fail once in humbling even the most overconfident, arrogant Apprentice. She truly felt sorry for them, even though they probably deserved to feel unnerved.

Mace Windu exchanged a look with the other Masters, who nodded grimly. "Well done," he said to the Jedi. He turned to the Padawans again, whose anxious faces awaited their judgement.

"Master ell Talaan," he rapped out.

Adriaan stepped forward. "Yes?"

"Take Master Kenobi and his Apprentice and make sure they get on the fastest ship back to Coruscant and take them directly to the infirmary at the Temple. Senator Amidala, you may accompany her. She will make sure you make it safely back to your quarters at the Senatorial Complex. Ell Talaan, these younglings will also be in your charge. At the Temple, they will remain in their quarters until the Council decides how we had best proceed with their punishment. Understood?"

Adriaan bowed her head. "Yah, Master. Gotcha."

So much for good grammar. She knew that phrases like "yah" "gotcha" "hey" and "sweet, baby" got on Mace Windu's nerves, but that was the whole fun of it. Those stiff Masters looked like they needed to loosen up and smile more often. But so far, her casual way of addressing them had only deepened the frowns.

Except for a slight look of annoyance on his face, Mace seemed not to notice. "Master Tachi," he continued. "You will come with me. I have a very important assignment for you to complete."

Siri nodded and followed his retreating figure without a backward glance.

Adriaan took a deep breath. Even though she was a Jedi Master now, she always felt relieved when Mace Windu finished elaborating tasks for her and vanished from her sight. She had never felt entirely comfortable in the presence of other Masters, for she felt that she was being watched.

Padmé looked at her worriedly. Anakin glowered even more at the prospect of being under the command of the upstart Adriaan ell Talaan for a few tormenting days in a crowded ship in hyperspace. Obi-Wan simply looked resigned to his fate. The Apprentices stared at her half-fearfully, waiting.

Adriaan suddenly straightened, her eyes alight as she stood taller. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin with a queen-like grace. "It's time to go home," she said.


	18. Aftermath

Chapter 18

Adriaan started to pace the floor of the medical center. The trip home had been absolutely eventless ––– except for when Aedan and his cohorts nearly succeeded in launching the escape pod. She had kept them from leaving only by announcing that escape pods were "good" Stars and planets, had they ever jumped at that!

Obi-Wan was being administered to; he had only a few deep cuts from where the Count had grazed him with his lightsaber. Anakin hadn't gotten off so easily ––– they were installing a droid arm into him now. Padmé was in the operation room ––– she had been too worried and nervous to wait with Adriaan.

She stopped pacing so suddenly that her arm swung out and knocked over a chair with a loud _CRASH._ She did not pick up the chair, however, but stood very still, looking at the fallen seat but not really seeing it.

Something was wrong here. This sudden attachment between the Senator and Anakin ––– something was not right about it. She knew that they had known each other since they had been kids, and Padmé was a little too old to be romantically interested in Skywalker anyway, but it didn't match up with the bad feeling she was getting about it. The way Amidala looked at him ––– it wasn't a regular friendship. When Anakin was within ten meters of Adriaan, he scowled. But when he was with Padmé ––– his gaze was completely different. And it wasn't just that he liked her…he seemed to _adore_ her.

Adriaan's eye widened with sudden understanding. Anakin _loved_ Padmé. It was all too clear. But if he loved her…

There it was. The catch. It was forbidden for a Jedi to love. There was no excuse for it. Anakin was breaking the code.

_Here's your chance at it, Adriaan. Time to show him who you really are._

Now, finally, she had something to use against Anakin. Now, she could be avenged for all of the treatment she had received from him as a student. And she could avenge Darc Chun-be for the part Anakin had played in his leaving of the Order.

_You aren't supposed to think about this._

But it was too late. The thought had escaped the dark recesses of her mind, and unless she thought hard about it, it would never be forgotten. She couldn't push it down anymore.

Okay, back in the "good old days" as an Apprentice, she and Darc Chun-be had been inseparable friends. In the sparring and dueling rings, she and Darc were almost always pitted against each other, so perhaps she'd be more accurate in saying that they were friendly rivals. They hadn't been intimate or anything. Darc wasn't the kind of person that she liked, generally, but she had felt sorry for him. Why? Simply because they were in similar positions. She was greatly disliked by mostly all the other students and Apprentices, but publicly he was admired, though many hated him because he lacked nothing besides humility, and he didn't hesitate to let everyone know who was at the top of the pack. That was how their conflicting chemistries had been slammed together. One common rival that they had shared was Anakin, the arrogant, boastful Padawan of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Adriaan had actually enjoyed their enmity; it had added spice to their missions together. Until the very last mission, of course, when their bickering had evolved into a mortal hatred of each other.

She hadn't been there to help Darc, in the end. She had been forced to go on a side trip with her Master, which turned out to be the last mission she went with him, but she was definitely _NOT_ going to think about that. It was painful enough to think of Chun-be. Anyway, she had been in critical condition at the medical center ––– she had been so near death, she remembered, that the Jedi had placed her name in the records as one who had joined the Force ––– when Darc had been accused of killing his own Master and attempting to kill Adriaan. And it had all been Anakin's fault, because he had been malicious enough to give false testimony.

The mission had been to negotiate a peace treaty between two hostile nations; a total blue milk run. There was no way they could have boggled the mission. But who would have thought that a sith lord was behind the estrangement between the two races? Who would have known that a Jedi Master had betrayed the Jedi Order? Who could have foreseen that Darc would be subjected to torment at the hands of sith cultists?

When Adriaan had returned to her respective mission with Anakin and Darc, she realized that they had been captured, and had arrived just in time to watch the cultists activate a bomb that destroyed the entire facility…with Adriaan, Darc, and his Master trapped inside. Darc and an unconscious Adriaan were rescued…but Darc's Master had perished in the flames with the rest of the cultists.

Adriaan had missed the entire return to the Temple, as she was deathly ill at the time, but the Jedi Apprentice that had been sent to rescue them had told her all the details. Anakin's story was that Darc had moved off alone to search for his missing Master, deliberately excluding Anakin from his investigation. After forty-eight hours without hearing from Darc, Anakin had sent out a search party, only to discover that Darc had been seen traveling with a group of sith cultists. It was undeniable proof, Anakin insisted, that Darc was conspiring with the sith. After being told of Darc's malevolence to Anakin during the mission, the Council summoned Chun-be, who unsuccessfully tried to prove his innocence. After losing his temper, he had stormed out of the Council chambers and announced that he was leaving the Jedi Order.

He was so angry, he didn't stay, not even to say goodbye to her. And it was all on account of Anakin. Anakin was clever; he hadn't lied, but he conveniently forgot to mention that Darc was blindfolded and fettered with stun cuffs when he was seen with the cultists. The knowledge of this made Adriaan detest him even more. He was like a glob of slime on her boot, refusing to get off, no matter how hard she stamped on him. She would have killed him a long time ago, had not her Jedi discipline restrained her. Now was her chance to get back at him…the Jedi way.

_Revenge comes from the Sith. Mercy from the Jedi._

_ Blazing conscience, _Adriaan thought. _Go fall down a black hole._

Yet she knew her conscience was right. No, she couldn't do this, it would be vengeful and wrong, expected from immature students and evil criminals, not from a Jedi Master like her, little upstart that she was. Anyway, Anakin was too wise to even to think of falling in love. No, she would remain silent about the whole thing.

She whirled around as the doors hissed open and Siri Tachi walked briskly through. As lean as ever, her eyes were gleaming with a purposeful glint. Looking over her shoulder, Adriaan could glimpse the straps of a survival pack peeking out from underneath her dark cloak.

"Mission already?" Adriaan said.

"I came to check on you," Siri said. "And to say good-bye. Master Windu has an important assignment that can't wait. Precious time has been lost already. I only have a few minutes."

"So hurry up with it." Adriaan felt there was more behind her words. And she felt it wasn't anything good. In fact, she had a pretty fair idea of what the mission was. She could often read another person's thoughts before they spoke of them to her. Something about the look in their eyes, the expression of the face. This sort of skill was one of the things a Jedi was taught, but Adriaan had always been especially good at it. It was in her nature. It was one of those things that made her feel set apart from the rest of the galaxy, as if she had come from somewhere far superior, so she felt as if she didn't belong. Very few Jedi achieved the power to read the minds and thoughts of others, especially of other Force adepts.

"_Boba Fett,_" Adriaan said. "Windu wants Jango's son found."

Siri nodded intelligently, her gaze serious. "The boy knows things," she said. "He could help us. And it would be better for him to grow up in the Republic, not among the Separatists, criminals, and anti-Jedi groups that he will doubtless join."

"He's a clone," Adriaan said bitterly. "Who else would want him?"

Siri was silent.

"And why should he help us?" Adriaan continued. "We killed his father, the only family he knew. Do you think he would accept an alternative family if we offered it to him? I know that I would _not_ accept the terms given from people who had killed _my_ family. How could you even expect such a thing?"

"I do not expect it," Siri said. "But it is only fair that I give him his choice. If he doesn't agree, we can at least keep him from doing harm."

"Oh, yes, very safe, _completely _safe," Adriaan said bitingly. "_Too _safe. You mean chained up, in a cage, when he should be living a life of freedom. This isn't the Jedi way. We are supposed to grant liberty, not take it away. And he hasn't done anything to us."

"_YET_," Siri pointed out. "He will do something to us. You know that."

"And so what?" Adriaan asked. "Should a kid be locked up? This isn't like you, Siri. Would you lock up a child like him?"

"So you are saying that kids should get away with downright murder?" Siri asked incredulously. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from _you_, _MASTER _ell Talaan."

"No," Adriaan said. "I'm asking if it's right that you should lock up a kid that has done nothing wrong."

Siri sat down, her head between her hands. "I don't know!" she burst out suddenly. "I don't even know what's right and what's wrong these days! If your actions are for a good purpose, it gets twisted into something evil. If your intentions are evil, it turns out even more evil than before. What if we're not even on the right side?"

Adriaan was shocked. She'd always considered the former Master of Ferus Olin as a self-confident, independent, steady person. She had never seen this side of Siri before. And she'd known her since she'd been old enough to gallop through the Temple halls, wreaking havoc upon all passing Jedi.

"I know this is right," Adriaan said finally, her voice sounding more confident than she really was. "Promise me. Don't do this to him. Let him go. I'm begging you."

Siri's face was dark with grief and disappointment. "You know I can't promise you," she said softly. "Why are you asking this of me?"

Adriaan turned away from her, not wanting Siri to see her shaking hands. "I held a sort of respect for Jango. He was my enemy, yet I respected him. Perhaps he wasn't entirely bad. Perhaps he loved that boy. Yes, you may think I'm crazy," she said, her voice rising. "I don't care. I _know_ that he loved Boba as a son. I am not ashamed of honoring the dead, even if he was an enemy. Something is not right here at the Temple. It is part of the Jedi code to respect the dead, but this practice seems to have fallen apart. Did you see the look on Windu's face as he bent over the body? Would you call that a look of sorrow? Something is terribly wrong here!" She was shouting by this time, and now she was forced to stop, out of breath and at a loss to say anymore. She felt her face grow hot. She had never spoken her thoughts aloud like this to anyone. She looked at her friend anxiously. Had she offended Siri with her outburst?

Her question was left unanswered, however, for at that moment Padmé entered the room, her face bright with happiness and relief. Behind her, Anakin and Obi-Wan followed, the Apprentice awkwardly flexing his new droid limb, testing its feel. The Senator smiled at Adriaan and ran forward to greet her.

Adriaan grinned back. She was still convinced Senator Amidala wasn't a bad sort, as far as senators went. She was rather amused at the energetic politician, who was so close in age to herself. If it hadn't been for Anakin, Adriaan wondered whether she and Padmé would strike a good friendship. "Good to see you in spirits again, my lady," she said, bowing slightly. "It has been a great pleasure working with you."

"And you, too," she answered warmly, her eyes twinkling. "But how are the Padawans doing?"

"They're recovering," Adriaan said. She couldn't resist adding with a wink, "Under a heavy guard."

"That Aedan," Obi-Wan said. "He needs a high-level security watch on him to just make sure he doesn't get away. What a scoundrel. I can't believe he actually thought that he could rescue me."

"I object to that, Obi," Adriaan said. "I'm pretty sure that if we left him to his own devices, he could have made a clean getaway with you right underneath the very nose of Count Dooku. That kid is a prodigy."

"An accursed prodigy," Obi-Wan said with a sigh.

"Apart from a few scrapes and bruises," Adriaan said, "and mental shock, they're all fine. They'll be seen by the Council this afternoon."

"I hope they won't be punished too severely," Padmé said. "Facing a violent battle was bad enough."

Adriaan's raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. In normal circumstances, she might have been offended at these baseless worries ––– when dealing with naughty students, the Council was firm yet kind. That girl had guts to speak her mind like that in the presence of the Jedi. But they all knew that Padmé meant well.

"Didn't one of them witness the death of his Master?" Amidala asked now.

"Yes," Siri said. "It is all very sad. He has no one to look to for guidance anymore."

"Many Apprentices are without a Master now," Obi-Wan murmured quietly.

Everyone stared at each other in silence, none of them willing to speak further.

_Kan, I know how you feel. I know what it feels like to lose a Master. I know what it is like to lose a friend._

It was Padmé that broke the brooding, heavy silence which seemed to weigh on their hearts. "I have to go now," she said. "I must return to my homeworld, Naboo, and tell Queen Jamila the news."

Adriaan noticed Anakin perk up. "Let me come with you," he said eagerly. "After all this, I have no doubts now that the Separatists are going to come after you. You'll need an escort."

Anakin's gaze met Padmé's. Adriaan alone seemed to see the emotion hidden between them. She looked curiously at her fellow Jedi, who were obviously in the dark about the attachment between the Senator and Skywalker.

_Are the Jedi totally blind to their surroundings?_ _What will happen if we can't see the danger I know that we will face against the Sith?_

_ The only answer can be death._

"I don't see why not," she heard Obi-Wan saying. "He's right, Padmé. The Separatists have a score to settle with you. You're still in danger. Anakin will be able to take care of you."

Adriaan saw her hesitate, but she knew that it was all a ruse to make her look reluctant to accept Anakin's help. She was going to give in. She even had a good excuse to keep Anakin with her for a few days longer.

She couldn't help feeling amused over Siri and Obi-Wan's ignorance of the situation. But perhaps they couldn't be blamed. They had fallen for Anakin's outward appearance of zeal and eagerness to learn the Jedi way long ago. Only Ferus and Adriaan had seen through his mask, because they alone were not too close to him to be too blinded to see what he really was.

"Sure," Padmé said. "I could use the company, anyway."

Yet Adriaan knew there was a deeper reason for Padmé's decision Her suspicions had cause to be even stronger than before. It seemed to her to become more and more evident as she saw how readily the Senator agreed to let Anakin "escort" her back to her homeworld, the way Skywalker's hand reached out for Padmé's…

"Well, I'm heading out," Siri said gruffly. "My mission cannot be delayed any longer. May the Force be with you all."

Siri met Adriaan's gaze as she turned to go. After a microsecond had passed she swerved her eyes straight ahead as she left the room, walking quickly in the direction of the hangar.

Adriaan smiled at the closed doors. In that one fleeting look, Siri had assured her that her outburst a few minutes ago had been forgiven. Adriaan could not help but feel relieved. She would have just died if she had lost Siri to the rest of the Jedi skeptics who were forever going over her, meditating over her, testing her. She could not face being alone again.

When she came to her senses, she found that Obi-Wan had also left, leaving Padmé and Anakin together. Amidala smiled at her, but Adriaan could tell that they did not want her here. Anakin's face clearly communicated that to her.

For a second, Padmé's gaze happened to glance into the medical room. In that small second, Adriaan acted. She stuck her tongue impudently out at Anakin, and before he could recover, or Padmé turn her head back around, Adriaan had already darted through the doors and was laughing as she flew through the halls.

_I'm a kid again,_ she told herself, but in the next moment she remembered. _I am a Jedi._

She slowed down to a leisurely walk, hearing only the sound of her labored breathing and tapping of her own feet upon the cool stone floor.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful silence. Back in that room, with so many people breathing in the warm stuffy air, she could hardly think. Here in the quiet, alone, but not lonely, she could allow her mind to go out of boundaries, for just a few minutes.

She knew that Anakin wanted to go with Amidala back to Naboo, but why? Naboo wasn't the sort of lowdown, exciting place that she knew Anakin was so fond of. Black marketing, gang fights, and speeder thefts were common on Coruscant and indeed on almost any world, except for Naboo. Something didn't agree with her about their story. Yes, the Seps were in league with the Trade Federation, which meant that they wanted Amidala's head to settle the score with Naboo. But the enemy was probably far too busy licking its own wounds and rebuilding their forces to bother hunting down a determined Senator. Everyone except for Adriaan was too occupied with their own troubles to think the matter through.

Obviously Anakin did not want to part with Padmé yet. If Adriaan knew a person that she liked, of course it would be natural for her to want to hang around him or her. Anakin and Padmé were most likely just old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Yes, that must be why he was accompanying her on the trip back to Naboo. Unless…

Unless they were planning to get married.

_NO._ That was impossible, even for Anakin. A Jedi may be able to keep a secret about falling in love ––– for there were times when even the most steadfast Master could be tempted away from his goal ––– but could a Jedi hide that he was married? There lifestyles were far too focused on meditations, hard work, traveling to distant worlds, creating a calm center, and tiresome studies that they hardly had a spare moment in a day. The life of a Jedi was so much different from the gaudy speeches and fashions of the outside world that it was next to impossible for a Jedi to become intimate with a citizen. It was beyond imagination. How could she even think of such a thing?

She stopped walking, her gaze traveling up the ceiling as inwardly she struggled to wipe Anakin and Padmé from her mind. It was wrong of her to judge them. After all, her conclusions were most likely influenced by enmity. No. Think of something else.

She thought of other people she knew, to divert her mind from from its dark musings. Normally, she did not allow herself to think of other people she knew, because most of them were dead by now, but she was alone and she needed to give her mind free rein. If she didn't, she would explode.

The first person she thought of was Kan.

_Why am I thinking of HIM? _Kan had been taken care of, along with Master Yil's Apprentice and the Wicked Club. The Council had reached a decision before they were even halfway to the Core. None of them would be expelled. The would be reprimanded, which was a serious failing for a student, but nothing more. The shock of the battle had been punishment enough. And they were all too young and ignorant of the results of their actions to be punished too severely.

So why was she worried about Kan?

Because Kan was one of those who had lost his Master. Worse, he was the only one who had actually_ watched _his Master fall. And even more terrible still, Adriaan had felt the inconsolable anguish and hatred of Jango Fett, the murderer of Master Xelan, pulsating through the boy's sturdy frame, threatening to break his spirit and twist his ways to that of the Sith. And she knew that Kan was blaming the death of his Master on himself.

_Kan, I know how you feel. I was once tempted to turn away. I once knew what it was like to lose a Master. I once knew what it was like to watch my Master die, to waste away into nothingness…_

Kan Enik was thirteen, beyond the age of being chosen again. Even the Council seemed at a loss with what to do with him. They should have taken the easy way out and expelled him while they had a chance. But in bestowing upon him an act of mercy, they had in reality inflicted upon the boy a worse torment than they could have devised. He had no one now to look up to, nowhere to go. No one to show him where to go…

Adriaan wondered for the millionth time why she wasn't still an Apprentice. She'd been knighted about two years ago, when she had been only sixteen, yet it seemed that though time seemed to fly past her, changing the world around her, she alone seemed to be untouched. It was an odd feeling, and it made her feel odder still around everyone else.

Perhaps she had endured the trials so early because she had been meant for something, somehow, though no one in the galaxy, including herself, knew what for. She'd been knighted around the time that the Chun-be kid had quit. She put two and two together. Could she be the one destined to bring Darc back to the Order?

Something pinged inside her head at the word. _Darc_. There was something she'd missed. Something that she had noticed but had never paid that much attention to. Something she should have noticed right away.

The answer made her head pop up. Of course!

Blue eyes, dark hair. Broad shoulders. That was what Darc Chun-be looked like.

And Kan looked exactly the same.

_Coincidence,_ she said to herself. _Nothing special about it. Darc was an ugly kid anyway. Don't attach anyone to his looks._

_"No," _Another voice inside told her, _"you're missing the point. Think back. Think back. Why do you think you were knighted at such a particular time, two years before this. Two years ago when Kan hadn't been chosen. You weren't thinking about taking on an Apprentice then, so soon after the trials were over. But now?"_

"But now," Adriaan repeated aloud. "What?"

Then she knew what she had to do. There was only one person who could possibly know.

Adriaan turned on her heel and began to run in the direction of Yoda's quarters.

_Kan, hold on. I'm coming._


	19. Masterless

Chapter 19

Kan sat by the clear, rippling pool, its wrinkled surface shimmering as it caught the overhead light and threw it into the waves, making the water explode into fragments of dancing, sparkling colors. Underneath its iridescent surface, blue, green, and purple lights flickered, reflecting the world above in distorted dimensions as they flecked across the stony bottom.

He had been seen by the Council about eight hours ago, alone. They had been understanding, but also disappointed by his conduct. They had been firm in dealing out his punishment ––– a reprimand, which was a great embarrassment to Kan, who had always been considered a "clean student" How his friends would laugh at him now!

But privately, Kan was relieved. Relieved that his punishment hadn't been any worse. He had been so certain that he would be expelled, he actually did not even understand Mace Windu's words until he had repeated himself six times, which annoyed Windu especially. And Kan did not want to annoy Master Windu. To annoy Master Windu meant experiencing the consequences. He had to be extra careful in the future.

Aedan and his cohorts had been confined to their rooms under heavy restrictions. They were not even allowed to communicate by comlink, let alone leave their rooms for mealtimes. Kan actually felt a little sorry for them. Their intentions were good, but they had been overambitious. But wasn't Kan the same way? They were only foolhardy boys like himself, eager to grow up and get out to see the galaxy.

But they were in for a big disappointment. The galaxy was a sorry mess, terribly marred by relentless, bloody tyrants waging war, and twisted by false friendships and deep betrayals. Even the senators, who were supposed to be representatives of their planets, no longer cared for the welfare of their people. The Senate was a gathering place for villainy, frippery, and empty flattery. These fashion models just handed over all their power of decision to the Chancellor ––– who was not a bad choice, but may become greedy with his powers ––– so that they could put down their work and amuse themselves at fancy restaurants and in front of mirrors.

Furious, Kan picked up a stone and hurled it savagely at the water, marring its silvery surface as it descended into the lake with a dull _plop_. Everything around him was too happy to be in a horrible world like this. Even the pool seemed to smile. It was impertinent to have such joy in the midst of such a disgusting place. Had Ruru really died for all this? For a galaxy ruined by carelessness and corruption?

"Kan?"

Jordin was standing over him. Kan knew this because first of all he could feel her presence within the Force, second because he could see her reflection in the water. The waves from the stone he had thrown was horribly distorting her features, making her look more like some skinny, deformed monster than the sweet, innocent little girl that she was. Oddly, it made him think of a lesson he had learned long ago, of anger twisting ones thoughts and deeds and eventually turning something good into something evil. He had been angry, and to provide an outlet to release his fury upon, he had thrown the rock. The rock had horrifyingly altered the appearance of Jordin's reflection. Would his anger serve as a trail, winding diabolically yet creeping steadily towards the way of the Sith?

"Kan? Are you all right?"

_Of course I am all right_, he said silently, _Are you crazy? I have never felt better in my entire life._

_"You liar." _A voice inside told him.

He frowned at her reflection. He was not going to speak to her. He did not want to. He just wanted her to go away, to leave him alone in his torment.

Jordin should have taken the hint and left. But she didn't. She stayed where she was.

"I thought I would find you here. Zett is looking for you. He's still kind of mad at us for taking off without him as he was snoring away in a corner not ten meters away from our ship. He expects a sincere apology from you, so you'd better hurry up and see him. He really misses you."

_Ah, Zett, _Kan thought to himself, _Before the battle you were seven and I was thirteen years old. What I have learned since then has made me an old man, because I finally realized what the galaxy really is._

He scowled into the depths of the pool. How dare she come and interrupt his thoughts like this? And then begin prattling off to him about how his friend is expecting an apology from him. Some friends he had. Did they have any compassion in them at all? "I don't want to be disturbed," he said harshly. "I can't be expected to continue as if the battle had never been fought, as if they all didn't die. I can't forget _him_…" he couldn't finish.

She looked at him. "But you _must_ continue," she said. "The Council expects you to. That's is why we weren't expel –––"

"They are unfair in making the assumption that I _will_ go on," he said bitterly. "Why must I live? Why must I have the sounds of the screaming and shrieking of the dying and the sight of bodies tossed into the air by laser fire, blood falling like rain, forever ingrained in my mind?"

"Perhaps," she said. "It is part of our judgment upon ourselves. It is the natural result of our actions. We must endure it. It is the only way we can survive. It is our fully deserved punishment. Or perhaps," she wondered aloud, "it is not only a punishment, but another chance that we have been given?"

"For what?" Kan said vehemently. "The galaxy is a mess. My Mm…my Master. He's…I have none. We no longer have the benefits of being on good terms with the Council. We may not even live through one year of the war. What kind of chance is that?"

"Some things," Jordin said, "are best answered by yourself. I'll see you later."

He felt a slight breeze as her cloak fanned out behind her when she crept off. But the cool puff of air only made his face feel hotter with shame. Now he had even been rude to his own friend. His brow furrowed as he gazed deeper into the water, his nose skimming its surface. He was not going to think about Jordin right now. He must push down his guilt…

Why was he still alive, while Ru…his Master, who had done nothing wrong, was…dead. It wasn't fair. Why was Kan given another chance to live as a Jedi, striving to spread peace in the galaxy? He wasn't the right person for the job. He was not deserving of such an honorable position.

_You should leave. The Council is wrong to even let you stay on. No one is going to choose you. _

_ "But if I leave, I'll be sent to the AgriCorps, like all the other failed students."_

_ But you aren't a failed student. You'd be leaving of your own free will. The galaxy is huge. You can go anywhere._

_ "But where will I go?"_

He felt his heart fall. It was all just empty hopes and dreams that he had now. If he left, he would wander aimlessly in and out worlds and most likely fall into bad company that could use him and his Jedi skills to evil purposes. But if he stayed…how would he become a Jedi? He was beyond the age of being chosen. And what reputable Master would want him, anyway? He was a terrible being. He had outrightly disobeyed the Council, and because of that, many others suffered.

_And you reacted in anger when it could have been an opportunity for you to be Jedi-like…_

Never mind. That was not so important. Nothing bad had come of it. Right now all he was concerned about was what he should do _now. _The past was gone.

_What if I wasn't there? Would _He_ have lived to return to me?_

He suddenly felt a surge in the Force, so strong it could only come from a Jedi Master.

He looked around frantically, desperately trying to find a place to hide. He did not want to meet any more Jedi, not after what happened. Especially not now, when the shame and guilt were still hanging heavy over him. He had to get away…

A tap on his shoulder made the blood drain from his face. Too late. They had rooted him out.

_Maybe if I don't turn around…_

_"Are you crazy?" _he said to himself. _"Stop running away from things you don't want to face. This is life. Live it. The running away stops now. Turn around."_

He turned his head to face the Jedi.

To his surprise, it was not the stern Mace Windu, or the harsh disciplinarian Rei Saffron who confronted him, as he had thought. Instead, it was Yoda who stood before him, gazing upon him with his deep, calm, green-blue eyes. There was no emotion revealed on the old Master's face, which made Kan furious in spite of himself. Why couldn't he tell what the Masters were thinking? It was a Jedi skill that he was supposed to be taught. Were they teaching him _everything _about the Force_,_ or just things that they wanted him to know?

Beside Yoda, stood a taller, trim figure in black. Keen dark-blue eyes looked down at him intently. Kan suddenly felt very uncomfortable under these two scrutinizing gazes. And he felt even more perturbed at the sight of Adriaan. She alone was the last person he wanted to see.

He was in a torment. It felt like all of his thoughts were being pulled out of him against his will, to be stared at with painfully bright eyes, then thrown out into the wind; thrown away, as if it all amounted to nothing. That was how powerful Adriaan's and Yoda's gazes were. They seemed to know exactly what Kan was thinking.

_Personally, I feel like running off to crawl into the darkest hole I can find._

"Young Enik, expelled, you were not," Yoda said. "But a problem, now you are."

Kan nodded, keeping his eyes averted so that they would not see the look of pain on his face. "What must I do?" he murmured humbly.

"Yourself, answer you must," the great Jedi answered. Then he nodded at Adriaan, as if receiving a silent signal from her. She gestured with her hand. Then he turned away, hobbling at a surprising rate back down the hallway.

Kan swallowed. Now it would come. A nameless dread was stirring inside him, so that he looked upon the beautiful girl before him as a monster, as a disgusting, loathsome creature that had dared to intrude upon his meditations.

_She hates me. I can feel her contempt. Why is she tormenting me?_

"Are you going to talk or do I have to leave?" Adriaan asked brusquely.

At first Kan was astounded at her shortness with him. Shouldn't he be treated with kindness, now that the person that had been like a father to him was lost forever? He felt like running up and shouting into her ear, "Leave! I do not want _you _as a friend!" But then he remembered something that made him stop to think. Something that had happened during the battle, but he had been too distracted to pay much attention to it before.

_"I know you can do it, Kan,"_ Adriaan had whispered into his ear. She had been trying to encourage him, to raise him up, to make him keep going. He had been so full of grief that he had never even thanked her. Instead, he had wanted her to go away, to leave him. He had wanted to shout "I hate you!" into her face.

_What am I? She was a friend to me, and all I have repayed her with is rudeness and contempt. What am I becoming?_

_ You need to wake up. You need to step forward. Get up. Stop looking back. Look forward._

_ It starts now._

He looked up at her. He did not attempt to smile, but he hoped that the expression on his face would communicate his gratitude to her. He could not smile. No one could smile in a galaxy like this…

"Yoda and I have had a long discussion," she began hesitatingly. "About…many things."

A vague vision swirled in the back of his mind, but he forced himself to keep his focus. "What things?"

"We spoke of the battle and its outcomes." she paused, her face darkening. Then she went on quietly. "Many Jedi have been killed. Our numbers have decreased to a pitiful amount. And there were so few of us to begin with. We have been spread too thin throughout the galaxy, striving to keep peace. It is getting harder and harder as the need for Knights is becoming more and more evident."

She fell silent again. Kan saw her struggle within herself, as if trying to decide on what to say next.

"That was part of the reason why I was knighted at so young an age," she said finally. "Don't you see? The Jedi need all of us. We cannot forsake…" again her face had a guarded look.

Suddenly Kan realized something. It was not just in her body and looks that made her look too young, it was also her _soul _that was so unready. It was like a child who had lost its mother in the crowd and could not find her again, could not even _move_, she was so petrified. Why was she a Jedi if she seemed to still have a need for guidance?

_"I heard that she did something that really impressed the Council, so they knighted her. Do you know her?" _he had asked so short a time ago. The first day he met her. What had she said in reply?

_"I am Adriaan ell Talaan, but I do not know what I did that so impressed them. It was just the timing…"_

_ "Adriaan, what happened to you?"_ Kan asked her silently. _"Why are you so evasive about your Apprenticeship?"_

"You said that Yoda spoke to you about _many _things," he said aloud, trying to encourage her to say more.

She let out a long-held breath. "We talked about my, uh…skills, in teaching. I would have been the class monitor in my clan when I was student if I…" she broke off. "Anyway, it didn't work out, but my talents did not completely pass the Jedi Council. There were some private issues that Yoda discussed with me, so I cannot tell you everything, and there is no way you will ever find out until it has happened. _If _it happens."

Kan stared at her for a long time. "What about Darc Chun-be?"

Immediately, he saw her brow furrow. "Well, what do you mean what about him? I told you I don't discuss Darc Chun-be."

"But you must!" Kan burst out. "All I've heard from you is broken off sentences and unfinished speeches! If you continue to hide inside yourself, you'll go crazy! You _need _to talk about Darc. For your own sanity."

Her shoulders were slumped, and her head was downcast, as if disappointed. He suddenly felt guilty for yelling at her. He was becoming too nosy for his own good. He had to remember that she was a Jedi, and Jedi do not discuss their problems with Apprentices. "I ––– I'm sorry," he said in a quieter tone. "You don't have to speak about him if it hurts you."

"No," she said abruptly. "You were right. I do need to talk about Darc to you. It is only your due. Chun-be and I were allies," she said. "We fought, we disagreed on almost everything, but…we stood up for each other. I had wanted to be his friend, but…" she waved her hand in dismissal. "He was too prideful; treated me like a little kid that needed his protection. That drove me crazy. I was in the medical center in critical condition when he decided to leave the Order." her eyes were very bright with unshed tears. "I never saw him again. It nearly killed me. All that time, and I had always thought…" she shrugged. "So you see why I do not like to speak of him. I prefer to think he does not exist."

He looked at her, pondering over what she had said. "Did you talk about this with Yoda?"

Now she looked embarrassed. "Not really," she admitted. "I am not good with words, Kan. I never was. I do not express my true feelings very well, either. Perhaps Darc thought I considered him to be a conceited fool. Maybe I did, at first. Then I noticed something. There are two characters to beings: their public, and their private personality. Some people are honest; they talk and act like they truly are. I may seem businesslike and friendly on the outside, maybe a little brusque sometimes," she added apologetically, "but inside, there is a completely different person. Do you understand what I am saying?"

He inclined his head. Little did she know how well he understood. For wasn't he the same way? Quiet and composed in appearance to his friends, but on the inside…there was much anger in him. Yes, he understood Adriaan perfectly.

"I see it inside you, too," Adriaan said now. "You have always seemed so calm and reserved, but…

His head jerked up. What was this girl? Could she read minds? "What do you mean?"

Her gaze was serious. "Well, for instance, I know that you wanted to kill Jango Fett."

He stood up so suddenly that he almost fell backwards into the pool in his haste. "I do not know what you are talking about," he said distinctly. "I hardly know you, and I will not lower myself to listen to your empty lies. I have never wanted to kill…"

_Kan, what are you doing? This isn't the Kan I know. Come back, Kan. You are going the wrong way._

"There is no wrong way," Kan said aloud, brushing past Adriaan proudly. They were all wrong. He was one and the same. There was no other Kan. No secret Kan, no altered Kan, there was just Kan. How dare they suggest such a thing?

_"Perhaps it wouldn't have been suggested if it hadn't happened in the first place…"_

"Kan?"

He stopped in mid-stride. He did not turn, for he did not want her to see that his face was hot red with shame. "What is it?"

"Please don't go away." Her voice floated in the air toward him, clear and sad, but with a wobble, as if her words were like mist swirling over his head, curling and wisping about as if it had been disturbed by his presence. "Don't walk away, like the, the rest…" her words sank down so that they became inaudible. "I thought that you were different from them," she said. "I had hoped…no, I was wrong to even think of it. You are right, Kan, I hardly even know you. I see that now." She was crouching on the floor now, her head between her knees. "Go," she said. "Go and feast upon your empty dreams of revenge. It will do you no good. I know. I know…"

By now, all Kan could see was a blurred, hazy vision of her, forlorn and rejected by him ––– him! The monster, the terrible person that had wanted revenge and would have done anything to get it. And now because of it, he had hurt his friend ––– for she was his friend. She alone had always believed in him. She and his Master…

"Adriaan." His voice rang across the empty space separating them. "I'm sorry."

She hardly looked up. "Ah, it is all the same with you Jedi," she said, as if speaking to something inside her, "that false modesty. They have pulled it off too many times on me. Go away. Don't disillusion me with your false apologies." She stood up as if ready to go.

_This is the end. She is walking away. And she will never come back…_

"NO!" Kan shouted. "Don't leave! I'm sorry! I haven't been the Apprentice I should have been! I admit my anger! I _wanted _to kill Jango Fett! I wanted to! But now I know," he said bitterly, "How wrong it was for me to even think about it. How wrong it was for me to even _be _there. I felt guilty for my actions, but I was afraid. What if the Council expelled me if I told them? So I didn't. I lied. Please, please believe me. I can't lose you like I lost my Mm…"

She was looking at him with an odd expression that was half sad and half…relieved? Had Adriaan ell Talaan been _afraid?_ Afraid of something that may have happened to him? Because of his hatred?

He met her gaze fearlessly. "You don't have to stay. You can go."

"No," she said quietly. "I was wrong. I am glad." She slowly sank to the floor so that she was eye to eye with him. "Kan, you know that anger is wrong to feel. It is a petty emotion meant only for those that are ambitious and determined to become the absolute best and doing anything that is possible to get them there. By _anything,_ I mean that they will use their emotions ––– hatred, aggression, fear ––– to get them there. It is wrong, but it is all too often the easier way for a Jedi to become powerful. All have been tempted by it, many have had an excuse for it, many began trying to do good–––but it was all to no avail. Your intentions don't always make a bad thing good. Eventually, they become so twisted and altered in their beliefs that they become the evil that you must face today. And still, they believe themselves to be doing good, when they are really causing much suffering. You must never become that way, Kan. This is very important. You _must _not become that way."

"I will not," Kan said, trying to assure her.

She smiled grimly. "Don't assume. You cannot see into the future. _Anyone_ can be tempted. _Anyone _can fall. Even a Master like Yoda. We are not invincible. It is impossible to never be defeated. Yet still, we must try. Even though you say now that you will never be turned, what will you say to me in the future?" Suddenly she withdrew her gaze. "Kan, I didn't come here to lecture you. That was not in the least my intent. But I cannot look away from this. This is a serious problem that must be resolved before it is beyond my power to help you. Listen to me now, Kan Enik, for I may not have another chance."

His face was serious as he looked at her squarely. "I have heard you. I will remember."

Her expression immediately changed. Her brow smoothed, and Kan could see the tension in her muscles relaxed. "Kan, how are you going to become a Jedi?"

A sharp stab of pain shot through him. "I don't know. I suppose that I will be sent to the service camps like the other unchosen students…" He couldn't finish. His vision became blurred with tears as he struggled to repress the anguish he felt. To his horror, a long-drawn, ragged sob escaped from him.

She stared at him in silence. Tentatively, she stretched out her hand, as if she were going to lay it upon his shoulder. But she didn't, and it remained suspended in the air, as if she didn't dare to touch him. "I…I have an offer," she stammered hesitantly.

_Oh, no, here it goes. First-class ticket to the AgriCorps, here I come._

"Will you have me as a Master?" Adriaan blurted out.

_Master?!_

Next thing he knew, he had fallen head over heels into the pool.

_Where am I? Am I dead?_

All around him, brown and green lights flecked with yellow swirled, the muddy tints seeping down his throat and into his eyes, half-blinding his mind in a groggy whirl. He knew that he must swim up, move out of this silent, murky world, but he no longer had the power to command his arms to work, to propel him upward to the surface. All he could do was float, half-suspended in the water, his mind saying over and over,_ "Adriaan wants to be my Master. Adriaan wants to be my Master. I am not leaving to serve in the failed student camps. I have a Master to go to."_

_ Swim up. Swim up._

_ I can't breath._

He dimly comprehended a slender, white hand cut through the mesmerizing blue and green sky enveloping him.

_Did I die? Is that Ruru coming to get me?_

The hand grabbed his arm firmly, and, with a mighty heave that was all too real, it drew him out of the water, pulling him up onto the stone floor of the Jedi Temple.

His lungs expanded painfully, taking in huge gulps of air. How long had he been down there? A minute? An hour? A lifetime? He would never know. His breath came up in long, gasping puffs. "What?" he sputtered, coughing up the water he had swallowed and shaking the clear, cold droplets out of his eyes.

She was looking anxious now. And Adriaan never looked anxious. "I don't mean to replace Ruru," she said. "No one could really replace him, in your heart. But you need a trainer. I am qualified. I may be your only offer. I may seem young ––– too young, perhaps," she added with a sad smile, "but nevertheless, I am willing to teach you all that I know. Will you take me?"

Her words stunned him, so much that he could hardly think. Instead, old memories flooded him, pouring out from his heart and filling the empty abyss in his mind. Jordin, her pretty, pointed-chinned face brimming with laughter. Zett, his long face, serious face slack and peaceful as he slept in a dusty corner. Adriaan, shaking droplets of water from her liquid-gold hair, the water shattering and breaking upon the floor like the rain of thousands of priceless jewels. Aedan, screaming his head off as he flipped head over heels onto the enraged baby massiff. These were memories of his life, things that had happened to him, things that he would never forget, things he would hold in his heart, unfaded, until the end of time.

His last thought was of Ruru, looking, looking at him, his disobedient, undeserving Apprentice, blood pouring like water from the black hole in his chest. This last vision ––– it was not happy like the rest ––– but it was part of his life all the same.

_Death is part of life, _he realized, _it is part of what forms our personalities. We are born, we live, and we die. But is it the end?_

Then he remembered something. Ruru had been in pain ––– terrible pain ––– but yet, in spite of it all, he had smiled. Smiled! A pure, brave, true, proud smile, unafraid of death, and confident of his Apprentice's future. Confident? Why was he confident? He had left his Padawan without someone to guide him. And yet, he had left him feeling sure of Kan's destiny.

_"Will you be my Apprentice?" _Adriaan had asked.

Suddenly Kan knew what he wanted to do.


	20. A New Master, a New Life

Chapter 20

Aedan tore voraciously at a slab of meat, grinning through a mouthful of food as a herd of scurriers scampered by. A slight breeze caused him to duck just in time as a baby dactilion from Utapau flew overhead. A condor dragon alighted onto his shoulder, playfully biting his ear. Aedan sniffed appreciatively as a sickeningly rotten smell wafted over to him from across the room, filling his nostrils with its putrid odor.

He suddenly laughed out loud, splattering chewed-up meat all over his already greasy tunic. Never before had his quarters smelled this WICKED. A boar-wolf, also called a borra, leaped to him, scratching vehemently at Aedan's legs.

Since he had an interest in all weird-looking creatures, Aedan learned as much as he could about them, so he knew technically all of their habits. But he didn't need a datasheet to tell him that his pet was hungry. Without even bothering to look up and take aim, he threw his slab of meat in the borra's direction.

He smirked with glee when he heard a satisfactory _crunch _as the animal's jaws snapped shut upon its target. He looked up to see it run off, the much-coveted piece of meat between its saliva-covered jaws.

He nodded with approval as it slashed viciously at a gorg that was apparently intruding upon its territory. Aedan encouraged his animals to roam free and act as nature would have them act. He was never bored when he had his vast menagerie of animals to watch and care for.

"You and Wicked would have been so WICKED together," he said aloud to the borra, who was too engrossed with his piece of meat to care about what his keeper was saying.

An Ikopi galloped past him, followed closely by a miniature krayt dragon with slobbering jaws wide upon. The Ikopi was too distracted by the all too close mouth filled with lethal rows of teeth to look where it was going, so it wasn't long before it crashed straight into several of Aedan's oopee sea killer exhibits. The aquariums fell over with a terrific crash of shattered transparisteel and sea creatures.

"NO! GOOD!" Aedan pushed the startled ikopi out of the way and began to hastily gather up the flailing sea specimens on the floor. "These WICKED things were expensive!" he shouted to the ikopi, who by now was calmly grazing in its feed bucket. "I can't have you breaking up my aquariums all the time! My WICKED fish have the right to live and be WICKED too! Next time you do this I'm going to roast you on a spit and feed you to the krayt dragon!"

The ikopi looked at him with a dull, blank expression. The krayt dragon smacked its lips, as if it could already taste ikopi fried on spit.

Just then the comlink signaled. Aedan frowned and dropped the armful of the fish he was holding. "This has been a GOOD day," he muttered.

A fallen oopee glared up at him reproachfully and bit him on the leg.

"OW! GOOD!" Aedan screamed, doing a wild, capering dance about the room. "GOOD GOOD GOOD! To the fish market! To the butcher! Ungrateful GOOD! Die!"

He tossed the offending oopee into the air. It landed back in its tank with a happy splash.

His comlink signaled again, louder this time. Annoyed, Aedan threw his comlink on the floor and stamped on it while it continued to ring. It was probably just dumb old Rei Saffron, demanding to see Aedan in his office for some WICKED deed that Rei didn't approve of. Rei didn't approve of anything Aedan did.

His face gleamed with amusement. It could be Minir, complaining about doing the baby-sitting shift. But then, everyone complained about doing the shift, because it was an easy, GOOD job. All they had to do was watch Jahn Pal and Sai'wer and make sure they didn't accidently kill themselves while playing. Jahn Pal and Sai'wer could drown in a one-centimeter-deep puddle of water.

Aedan picked his comlink up and switched it to caller I.D. Hmmm, that's funny. Obi-Wan rarely called Aedan these days. This could be interesting.

He turned it on. "WICKED-O, my brother-O!" he sang out. "Have you called to apply as a WICKED club member? There is a free test trial for thirty days if you are interested –––"

"Aedan?!" Obi-Wan shouted through the static. "A ferocious massiff has been shipped to my room; the intergalactic postal service must have gotten my name confused with yours. Hurry and pick him up now, before he breaks something!"

Aedan chuckled as he heard something crash in the background, closely followed by a hungry snarl.

WICKED. He had ordered a baby massiff from Tattooine by express shipment as soon as he had gotten home. He knew an animal dealer there that gave them away cheap, no questions asked. Aedan liked that.

"Aedan? He's tearing up the bed! Are you coming? Aedan! A-A-A-A-E-E-E-E-D-D-D-D-A-A-A-A-N-N-N-N!!!!"

There was another sound of breaking furniture and another growl, angry this time.

Aedan smiled. Well, it was back to WICKED duty.

* * * * *

Kan looked out toward the garish lights of Coruscant, a slight breeze stirring through his hair. He closed his eyes, breathing in the clear night air. Far below, he could hear the dull roar of air traffic as they crammed into the space lanes. This was everyday night life on the city-world, and he wanted to enjoy the moment he had with it.

Beside him, Adriaan stood, her luminous eyes reflecting the stars as she gazed up at the sky. Her long golden hair was loose, curling softly in the wind. Her hand rested lightly upon his shoulder, yet Kan could still feel her powerful strength even in her gentle touch.

She was now officially his Master, now that it had been formerly announced to the Council and the rest of the Jedi Order. All day, Kan had felt like a slide underneath a microscope ––– for he and his Master were a novelty now. It was a rare sight to see a Padawan chosen for the second time. This was the first moment since the day before that they could have alone.

She was very different from Ruru. Ruru had been very large and very strong, yet all the same, he knew how to be understanding and kind. He had a slow, lumbering grace, and he had always been a cautious and rational man. Until the very end.

_She is so different from him, _he thought as he stole a glance at her sad, withdrawn face. She had that airy, flowing quality about her, that casual, natural grace that few had. There was not one grain of fear or caution in her. She acted without a fear for her own safety. He had seen enough of her fighting style to know that. Her slim, lean body was all litheness when she fought ––– she made it seem more of a dance. One moment she was here, cutting away with a liquid-like motion ––– rolling, ducking, leaping, coming up over here, popping up several meters behind, now back to back with him, the next moment, gone like the swift passing of a breeze upon the water. She was very clever, yet she didn't rely on her intelligence to survive. She was the only person Kan knew that possessed both physical and mental ingenuity.

And, Kan also knew that she could be as strong and stubborn as a mountain.

_Or as strong and stubborn as an Aedan._

"Master?" he said now. He liked the sound of her name. Master ell Talaan. Master Adriaan. Master. She would teach him. She would guide him. He would not have to be on his own.

She turned her head slowly, resting her head on one hand. "Kan," she said. "You know that I do not like to be called 'master' It's servile."

"I am sorry," Kan said, "but what else can I call you?"

She looked away, toward the stars. "In my student days, there were some who referred to me as 'darkling' I don't know why. Among my friends, I was known as 'Ree' Ayd-REE-an. Adriaan. Did you know that Adriaan is Rhoderion for 'darkness'? 'Ree' was a common name meaning 'light' in a language that has long since died out. It's odd."

"Yes," he answered, not quite understanding her.

"I know you don't know what I'm saying, so stop pretending."

"Okay," Kan said, keeping his face straight.

She looked at him, a smile quirking at the corners of her mouth. "So, if you don't mind not acting subservient to me, I would prefer that you call me 'Ree'."

_Ree_. Kan shook his head, bewildered. Adriaan was a strange character. What kind of a Master asked their Padawan to call them by a nickname? It was unheard of.

_I wouldn't dare to call her Ree in front of Master Windu. He'd probably fall right through the floor._

"…War has begun, so I don't think we'll be bored for much longer," Adriaan's voice broke into his thoughts.

He started, half-guilty. An Apprentice not listening to his Master wasn't good. "Yes?"

"I mean we'll have an assignment soon. Yoda has sketched it out for me, but it will take a few days for it to come in as a positive. If the reports are confirmed, we'll be heading out by the end of the week. Is that okay?"

"Yah," Kan said, shrugging. Right now, he didn't really care whether he got an assignment within the week or not. He still felt too overwhelmed with Ruru's death, and with his sudden new Apprenticeship to Adriaan. And he had changed too much in such a short period of time. He had to catch up with himself.

_If it hadn't been for Jango…_

His blood began to boil. He tried to keep his emotion down, to stamp out his fury, but it was no use. His face tingled with the effort to calm himself.

"K-a-a-a-n." Adriaan's voice was stern.

His body felt hot. "I'm trying."

"Try harder."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can." She sounded angry now. "You _can._ You _will. _I know you can do it."

He took deep breaths, trying to push down his anger.

_I know you can do it._

_ Someone has said that to me before._

His eyelids popped open.

She looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

At first he was too excited to speak. He was replaying something in his mind, something that had happened not too long ago…

_He ran around the arena. _

_ "Kan!" Jordin had shouted._

_ "Kan, get up. You must get up."_

_ "I believe in you."_

_Who are you?_

He turned to her. "Mast –– I mean, Ree." He swallowed. "I need to tell you of something that happened before the…before the battle."

"Something bad?"

"Nnn ––– no," he stammered, "not really. I had ––– dreams; visions, of what was to come."

There was a brief pause. "Tell me about it."

"I saw the arena, and Aedan. He and the Wicked Club were screaming –––"

"––– 'wicked' yes, I know," she said with a grim smile. "And?"

"I heard Jordin calling for help. But I…I couldn't turn to help. And I didn't realize it at first, but I dreamed of you, too."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," he said. "In my vision, you were speaking into my ear, though I could not see you. You told me to get up and keep going. And it all came true –––"

She was staring at her boots. "On Geonosis I told you to get up and fight. That was all. And I pawned you off to the clones –––"

"No!" Kan said. "You didn't abandon us. You left us in what you thought was safe hands. You had a job to do. And yet, you still found enough time to encourage a disobedient student to get up and keep going."

"It is what the Jedi do for each other," she said. "We help up those who are down because it is the least we can do. I am no hero for that."

"In my eyes I saw you as a hero," Kan said softly. "I saw what you did for us. You protected us. I will always remember that."

Her eyes were lit with a strange light when she looked up at him. "Thank you, Kan," she said quietly.

Just then Jordin and Zett poked their heads through the door. "Kan Enik!" Jordin exclaimed. "I've called you at least a zillion times now to come in and see poor Zett ––– don't feel bad, Zett, he's still a little out of everything right now ––– and here you are, not even looking ready to come in and greet your friend? Where are your manners? Boys are _sooo_ rude. Did I ever tell you about what Aedan got ––– oh, sorry, Zett, you don't know who Aedan is, do you? Frankly, I don't think you want to know ––– well, anyway, it is also too late for you to be out. It's past your bedtime. Don't give me that patronizing look, Kan Enik. Even though you are a teenager and _supposed _to be able to look after yourself, you still need to go to sleep. I'll bet you my breakfast tomorrow that Aedan never goes to bed. He is one of those naughty, shady characters that _never _go to bed ––– just stay out all night, drinking grog and screaming and fighting and getting into speeder accidents and stuff. Hey, if he doesn't go to bed, then why isn't he tired –––"

Aedan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, landing right on top of her head. "BE QUIET GOOD!" he yelled into her ear. "I'm trying to sleep so that I can be extra extra extra doubly triply quadruply infinitely W-W-W-I-I-I-C-C-C-K-K-K-E-E-E-D-D-D tomorrow!"

Jordin's mouth dropped open, too surprised to even get up from her position on the floor. Zett eyes were wide as he toppled over backwards. "Whew! Yuck!" he sputtered, holding his nose. "What is that smell?"

"ME." Aedan said, grinning.

To Kan's surprise, Adriaan suddenly began howling with laughter. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. Jordin pressed her hands over her mouth to suppress her own giggles. Zett sat up on his elbows and chuckled in spite of himself. Even Aedan thought it was funny, for he opened his mouth wide and let out a loud guffaw.

Then Kan smiled.

At first he was startled. It felt so strange to smile again, when just the day before he had thought that the galaxy didn't deserve to see him smile.

But the truth was, he couldn't live his life thinking the galaxy didn't deserve anything good. There were both good and evil things in the universe. Life was not always happy, even for those who had done nothing wrong. Like Adriaan. He did not know what had happened to her, but he was confident that he would find out in his own time.

That small smile seemed to unlock something in his heart, for he grinned even wider. As he grinned, he felt as though a dark, heavy weight lifted from his shoulders, making him stand taller as he was released from the sorrow that had brought him down. He realized now that he had been burdened by something that he did not know had held him in an iron grip, refusing to let him cope with the loss of his Master. Perhaps it had been his own grief that had held him, or the result of seeing pain and suffering that he could not ease.

But was it really his deep, black hatred in his heart at Jango Fett that had weighed him down? The anger that had simmered and finally overflowed, flooding his body with an energy that was satisfactory when he used it, but brought guilt and shame upon him afterwards?

_You do not know how terrible revenge can be until it has already been done._

Whatever it had been, the smile had, somehow, helped him to bear it better. It had helped him understand the galaxy, and, more importantly, himself more. He knew now that know matter what, everything would be all right, because he had Adriaan to look up to now.

_You don't need to be afraid for me anymore, Master. I'm free._

_ "I know, Kan. I am proud of you, my young Apprentice."_

_ I will never let you down._

A war had started. Kan and his new Master would soon be needed. He knew that there was more suffering to come. More death. But somehow, they ––– he and Adriaan ––– would see it through.

Seeing the laughter of his friends, and the beautiful, yet somehow sad joy of his Master, Adriaan ell Talaan, seventeen-year-old Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic, his heart felt full. He was no longer alone. And he was free.

He couldn't resist laughing with them.


End file.
